


The Birthday Present

by S_nothing



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics), Teen Titans (Animated Series), Teen Titans (Comics)
Genre: Bat family mentioned, Birthday Presents, Damian is an Asshole, F/M, Family, Father-Daughter Relationship, Father-Son Relationship, Secret Children, Space Prince, Space Princess - Freeform, Space Twins, grieving/mourning, mild romance, mutant worms, reluctant kids, they just want their mama to be happy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:01:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 35,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24177820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/S_nothing/pseuds/S_nothing
Summary: Starfire is devastated after the loss of her beloved mutant worm Silkie. Her twins, Jake and Mar'i, determine that if they are to get their mother's happiness back, they will have to journey 26 light years away to Earth and bring her back a new Silkie!Along their mission for the ultimate birthday present, they encounter a bizarre group of people. And one of them is an annoying human male named Nightwing who just won't leave them alone.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Jake Grayson & Mar'i Grayson, Dick Grayson & Mar'i Grayson, Dick Grayson & Mar'i Grayson & Koriand'r, Dick Grayson/Koriand'r, Jake Grayson & Dick Grayson, Jake Grayson & Mar'i Grayson, Mar'i Grayson & Koriand'r
Comments: 260
Kudos: 286





	1. Prologue

Starfire awoke to the patter of little feet against the floor. She would not open her eyes yet, content on listening to the whispers of her children. Their voices were like molten sugar to her ears. She was addicted to how they spoke with such innocence but cute conviction. They were full of boundless energy, much as she had been as a child, and they were never as quiet as they believed themselves to be. 

“Shhh, Mar’i!” hushed her little boy. Her eyes were closed, but she could picture his black eyebrows furrowed and his little finger to his lips. She could see her daughter making a face and sticking out her tongue. She felt the bed shift and was acutely aware of the warmth they radiated. 

“Do you think she is still sad, Jaki?” Mar’i whisper-asked. 

It took her son a moment to respond.“I don’t know. Probably.”

“I don’t like it when Mama is sad,” she confessed. The sadness in her voice made Starfire’s heart sink. 

“Maybe we should find her another rock! She loves it when we bring her rocks!” A chuckle threatened to leave her throat, but she suppressed it. They had given her rocks that they found in the palace gardens every single day for two weeks, and by now, she had two drawers full of them. It was a heartfelt gesture she could never refuse. Their intentions were to lift her spirits, and it did. However, the pain would come creeping back eventually. 

“But we’ve given her so many already!” she said too loudly for someone trying to be quiet. 

“Mar’i!” Jakand'r scolded once more. “You’re gonna wake her up!” 

“X’hal, okay!” she shot back but quieter. She let out a defeated sigh. “I just want Mama to be happy.”

“That’s why we have to bring her more rocks!”

Finally, Starfire opened her eyes and saw her two little bumgorfs sitting over her. Her heart expanded tenfold just by the sight of them, a wave of euphoria coursing through her. "Hello, my loves."

Their doe-like eyes lit up with excitement, and they flashed her toothy smiles. "Mama!" they both exclaimed in perfect unison before they threw their small bodies at her. She caught them in an embrace, giggling merrily. How she loved the feel of their little arms around her! She felt the ache in her heart subside and was replaced with a depthless love. 

"Decided to sneak into my bedchamber, have you?" She showered their foreheads and cheeks with kisses. They laid comfortably in the crook of her arms, happily sharing their heat. 

"Jaki wanted cuddles!" Mar'i teased, a childish gleam in her eyes. Starfire raised a playful eyebrow which made Jakand'r blush slightly. 

"That's not true, Mama!" he argued. His eyes left hers and lowered to the bedsheets. "I just wanted to see if you would fly with us today." 

Starfire felt her chest constrict and her grief return. She had not been able to fly since Silkie's passing two weeks ago. She had known for quite some time that he was dying. In the last month, he became increasingly lethargic and barely ate or drank anything. He did not even get excited for zorkaberries anymore! She summoned all the best physicians and veterinarians in the Vega system, but they all said the same thing. After thirteen years, age had caught up with him. 

It was always sunny on Tamaran, but the day was eerily somber. It reminded her of Gotham City. That city oozed gloominess and death. 

She found him in his bed struggling to breathe, and she knew right then that their time together would be coming to an end soon. Silkie must have known as well because when he looked up at her, it was all love and excitement. With great effort, she held herself together as she carried him off to the palace gardens. She sat under the tree she would always find him lounging under and stroked his fuzzy body. The ache in her heart grew each minute she felt his life slip away. Thankfully, her children were busy with their lessons. Silkie was a loved family member, and they were too young to see him die.

It was only when she felt him stop breathing did her tears fall. 


	2. The Operation

Mar’iand’r did not sleep like a Princess of Tamaran. She laid on her circular bed, mouth wide open and limbs splayed. She snored like a roaring glumpork. It was surprising such a guttural sound could come from a girl who was barely 4 feet tall.

She was so dead to the world that she did not immediately wake when Jakand'r shook her. “Mar’i," he called out, making sure to avoid the massive drool spot near her head, "Mar'i, wake up!"

He ducked when he saw pink in her eyes, narrowly avoiding a starbolt to the face. Instead, it hit the wall behind him, leaving a sizable scorch mark. He winced at the loud boom it made. "X'hal, Mar'i! Do you wanna wake up the whole palace?" he hissed.

She sat up, rubbing her eyes tiredly. Her black mass of hair shot out in every direction-- knots and tangles her servants would have a blast untangling later. "Jaki? What are you doing here?" she yawned. She wiped the drool off her face. She looked out the window and gasped, “Do you have any idea what time it is?”

“I know, I know. I’m sorry, but I had to talk to you,” he amended sheepishly.

“And this couldn’t wait for the morning...why?” she grumbled, nose wrinkling.

“I mean, it could,” he shrugged, “but I didn’t wanna wait.”

“You are such a mootkar!” she scowled. She flopped back onto the mattress dramatically. She shot him an irritable glare. “I was having a good dream, too.” 

"I wouldn’t wake you unless it was an emergency,” he supplied. She almost blasted him in the face with an eyebeam; surely, she’d forgive her for interrupting her beauty sleep.

“What is it?” Her voice was muffled as she had snuggled back into the warmth of her blankets.

“I’m going to Earth.”

She must have heard him wrong. She brought her head up and looked at him blankly. “What?”

He sighed and inhaled steadily. “I am going to Earth.”

This time her eyes widened, and she shot back up. “Earth? What, why!?”

“It's been weeks, and Mama still cannot fly, Mar’i. I fear that she will never regain her happiness again,” he responded, melancholy.

After the second week, it became apparent that no amount of rocks would heal their mother’s broken heart. There was a void in their little family that Silkie had left when he died. Plus, their constant hunt for rocks resulted in the upheaval of many flower beds, and he was starting to feel bad for the poor Royal Gardener.

Therefore, a new strategy was needed.

She gave him a skeptical look. “Why do you have to go to Earth then?”

“Silkie came from Earth, right?”

“Yeah…” She was starting to understand where he was going with this, and she did not like it one bit.

“Well, what if we got her a new Silkie for her birthday,” he explained quickly, ignoring the disapproving looks she was shooting him.

“That’s stupid.”

He pinned her with an annoyed glare. He was not expecting her to be on board, but she did not have to be rude. “Listen, Mama said that she got Silkie from a man named Killer Moth. I could get him to give me another! We’d all be happy again-- she'd be happy again! Then, she would fly!”

"Replacing Silkie won’t make her hurt disappear, Jaki,” she pointed out. Silkie meant so much to Starfire; it was impossible to think that another worm could replace him in her heart so easily.

“I know that, Mar’i,” he said before his features became determined, “but I have to try!”

“When would you even do this?” she asked. “You’re crazy if you think Mama is gonna let you go offworld.” He gave her a cheeky smile, which made her groan. She hated when he smiled like that. It meant he had ideas, and when he had ideas, it meant mischief was afoot.

“Mama will be leaving Moortak for a week.”

“And? Even if she is not here, the servants will let her know that you’ve gone! She'll be furious!” She slapped her forehead exasperated.

“Well, that’s where you come in-” 

"And once again, you’re involving me in your schemes!” she snapped, annoyed. “I don’t want to get in trouble!”

“I need your help, Mar’i! I cannot do this without-”

“Which is exactly why I _shouldn’t_ because you _shouldn’t_ do this!” With that, she pressed her face back into the covers. She could not listen to his nonsense about Earth or Moth Killer-- whatever his name was.

Jakand’r opened his mouth to yell at her, but he caught himself. He knew that his plan was risky, and he’d get in a lot of trouble. His eyes saddened and his lip trembled slightly, “I have no choice, Mar’i. If Mama does not regain her happiness, she’ll get married.”

For the second time that night, Mar’i shot back up. “Married?” she practically yelped, eyes bulging out of her head. “She is not getting married, Jaki!”

“She will if she’s not happy!”

“How do you know?”

“I overheard the servants talking about how General Phy’zzon plans on asking her to marry him. Master Tuuk’lor said that people get married to be happy, and-and Mama is not happy right now, a-and he will be going with her to Moortak! What if Mama marries him because she is desperate for happiness, Mar’i!” he unloaded, deeply troubled. He had not meant to reveal this to her, but he was becoming desperate and she was being annoyingly difficult.

He spoke so fast that he did not think that she heard everything he said, and if she did, he was expecting to be met with more skepticism. She seemed, however, to have registered his words, and instead of arguing with him, she looked stricken. “General Phy’zzon?” she said his name like it disgusted her. “But he is-he is a man without honor! She can't marry him!”

“Exactly, Mar’i! That's why I have to do this," he asserted. General Phy'zzon had been aiming for Starfire's affections for quite some time. Sure, he could understand why the General would want her as a wife. She was a queen, _and_ she happened to be the most beautiful woman in the entire galaxy. Still, his pursuit was nothing but vile. 

Mar'i remained quiet for awhile, seemingly in deep contemplation. It was almost inconceivable that her mother would marry that Pokar! The very idea made her insides twist and her face hot. She groaned. By her reaction, her brother already had a hopeful look. "What do you need me to do?" she grumbled. 

His face lit up, and he gave her a dimply smile, which she wanted to starbolt off. It was then that she noticed the journal he had tucked under his arm. "I'm happy you asked."

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Just tell me, so I can go back to bed." 

He quickly opened the journal, flicking through the pages. There were hastily drawn sketches. He must have mapped the whole thing out. She was impressed, a fact she would never tell him, because he was never organized. She narrowed her eyes. Was that deformed stick figure really supposed to be her? 

"You made yourself taller than me," she pointed out, wrinkling her nose. 

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah and?" 

"You are not taller than me," she responded, blandly. She squinted at the drawings, obviously criticizing every line. 

"Do you want me to explain the plan or not?" he snapped frustratedly. 

"Fine."

"Okay, so," he began, pointing at the stick figure of them flying, "I need you to fly me out of the atmosphere, so the guards won't see us."

Since the time she could float, Mar'iand'r had been able to turn invisible. One minute Starfire had been holding a screaming baby in her arms, and then the next, that baby had disappeared in front of very eyes. Starfire's lungs were on the brink of collapsing before the infant princess reappeared in her arms, giggling like nothing was wrong. 

It was a power exclusive to her, and nobody seemed to understand why she had it. Starfire, herself, was unique amongst Tamaraneans for her starbolts-- curtesy of the Psions, but even then, she never thought that that power could manifest into invisibility. What added to the peculiarity was that objects she touched could also disappear. This was why her brother always included her in his mischievous plans or why dessert pastries from the kitchens would go missing. 

"And then what? We fly to Earth?"

" _We?_ No, there is no we. _I_ will be making the trip to Earth by myself," he stated firmly. 

She raised her eyebrow, unimpressed. "I am going with you, Jaki."

"No, you're not," he said simply. 

She crossed her arms, glaring at him. "I go, or I don't help you."

He matched her glare. "You thought this plan was stupid a minute ago!"

"It is stupid."

"Then why do you want to go?" he asked, infuriated. This girl was unbelievable-- and to think he shared his rock collection with her!

"Because you'll probably die without me." 

Arguing came with the territory of being twins. They bickered quite a bit; sometimes these fights would result in the exchange of few starbolts, followed by a proper scolding from their mother. They'd spent the last eight years together, and he knew that she could read him just as well as he could her. That was why when he saw the look in her neon-green eyes, he knew he was defeated. She would not be swayed.

He scoffed, irate. Figures she would ruin his plans, but he had no choice. He would not be able to leave Tamaran's atmosphere undetected without her. They were going to Earth, together. "Fine," he relented, gritting his teeth. You win some, you lose some.

She smiled, unable to push back her excitement. "Okay, so we fly to Earth..."

* * *

Starfire had peppered their faces with kisses before leaving for Moortak. The act unnerved her servants as kissing was not a thing on Tamaran, but Starfire did not care. It was another way for her to show her children love. She promised to call and to bring them back many presents. They watched her walk out the palace door, the deplorable General Phy'zzon following close behind her. Jakand'r sizzled when he saw him sneak a look at his mother's behind. That was grounds to starbolt him, perhaps rip his head off, but he refrained, remembering his plan. 

He had spent the rest of the day normally. He was prone to mischief, and the Palace was wise to it. He did not want them to become suspicious, so he was resigned to being obedient. It was only when nightfall came did he sneak from his chambers and into the garden. 

He was not surprised to see Mar'i there. Sneaking out was a lot easier when you could turn invisible. "Ready?" she asked. Her voice was laced with nervousness and excitement. 

He nodded and pulled out his holopad. He powered it up using his solar energy, and a bright blue hologram appeared. 

**Plant: Earth**

**System: Sol**

**Sector: 2814**

**Current Distance: 26 Light-Years**

"Ready."

Wordlessly, he took her hand, and they disappeared into the night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a shame that Mar'i and Jake aren't in the main continuity. Such a waste of potential!! 
> 
> But anyway, I have taken a lot of creative liberties here. I was really inspired by the Night Fury and Light Fury's babies from HTTYD. I also gave Mar'i a bonus power. I got the idea from Miles Morales from Into the Spiderverse. Does Jake have one too? Who knows!


	3. Tourists or Invaders?

Orbs of pink and blue bounced off the moons of Neptune and danced along the icy rings of Saturn. They made their way across the asteroid belt, their little bodies gracefully weaving around huge chunks of rock. Jakand’r snatched a small one and placed it in his bag. It would make a cool addition to his collection.

Intergalactic space travel was a relatively easy feat for the Tamaranean Prince and Princess. Here, in the vast vacuum of space, they were able to move at incredible speeds, unrestrained by the harsh winds of Tamaran and its gravitational pull. A 26 light-year distance would be no obstacle for them.

The system Sol was small compared to Vega, which boasted a total of twenty-two planets. From what Jakand’r could see, it looked like it had less than half of that. Its yellow sun greeted them with a flurry of energy. It would do them well to charge up before landing on Earth. Who knows what they may encounter there.

Earth was not hard to find; it was very distinct amongst the other planets in the system. His eyes absorbed it all in. It was no Tamaran, but it was fairly beautiful. The hologram did not do it justice. Blue and green-- his favorite colors. Tamaran did not have oceans, and centuries of war had left their planet scarred. It was once a lush place, full of vegetation. Now, there was only an endless desert.

He was prepared to penetrate its atmosphere when he felt Mar’i bump his shoulder. He turned and saw her pointing at something. He followed her finger and widened his eyes.

It was some kind of stronghold! An uneasy feeling became him. He had only seen mammoth structures like this in the ruins of the Citadel. Whatever it was, it dwarfed them, and it seemed to orbit Earth almost like a protector. The sun’s rays bounced off its metallic walls, illuminating it in the darkness of space. He guessed it to be an Earthen military outpost, which did very little to quell his nerves.

He exchanged a worried look with Mar’i, who seemed to share his thoughts. Maybe, just maybe, this trip was not going to be as easy as he thought it was. Doubt began to creep its way into his mind. Maybe it was all for naught, and his quest to regain his mother’s happiness would never come into fruition.

Then, the image of General Phy’zzon kissing his mother came to mind, and he gagged.

Grabbing his sister’s hand, his eyes shined brightly with renewed determination. They could not speak in space, so he held out four fingers, a symbol she knew that meant to go invisible. She still looked weary, but she swallowed her fear. She took his hand and called forth her special power.

_For Mama_ , she kept chanting in her head repeatedly, _for Mama_.

And with that, the twins made their descent to Earth.

* * *

“Look, Jaki!” Mar’i squealed, an excited grin on her face. Balls of fluffy white surrounded them. They were breathtaking, water particles sparkling in the sunlight. They were an array of colors; some were pink, others were orange and yellow and violet! She moved to touch one of them, and her hand went right through it. “It vanished!”

“What are they?” he asked, joining her wonder. He watched his hand vanish in the fluff. His eyes rounded and a dimpled smile blossomed on his face.

“I don’t know, but whatever they are, they’re beautiful,” she answered with a dreamy smile. “Do you think I will be able to take one back with me?”

His face screwed. “Why would you want to do that?”

“They’re gorgeous. Mama would love to see these,” she gushed. An image of Starfire’s appreciative face flashed in her mind.

“Mama has already seen them, Mar’i,” he pointed out. “She used to live here, remember?”

“She’s never talked about them.”

Her mother rarely spoke about her time on Earth, often changing the subject when she or Jakand’r asked. It was strange for Starfire to be so closed-off with them, but she must have her reasons. Maybe the Earthlings were not very nice to her, and she did not want to remember. Mar’i would want to forget mean people, too.

She wondered what kind of planet Earth was. What were the Earthen people like? Did they also have pet Silkies? Could they fly, too? What kind of food did they eat? Would they like her?

She suppressed those wonderings. She needed to focus! She was here to find this Killer of Moths, acquire a new Silkie, and head back to Tamaran by her mother’s birthday. There was no time to worry about Earthlings and their stupid Earthen ways.

“Where are we supposed to find Silkie’s creator anyway?” she asked as they dipped below the cloud bank.

He was about to answer her when something else caught his interest. “Whoa!”

They hovered above a concrete city. There were buildings of all shapes and sizes; some threatened to touch the sky. They were full of windows that reflected the sun’s rays. Streets marbled the ground, vehicles of every color roamed on them. It was bustling. Even though they were several thousand feet up, they could feel its energy. This city hummed industry and personality.

“Tamarus is not like this at all,” she observed in awe. “I’ve never seen such large buildings before. Do you think that Earthlings live in them?”

“I don’t know. I bet their noble families live in them,” he guessed. Still holding her hand, he floated down closer to inspect. He was still invisible, so he could not see his marveled face in the windows of the building.

“Does Earth have a Grand Ruler?” she asked curiously. They had not asked Earthen officials permission to come here. She wondered who they would have to answer to if they were discovered. “

Hm, I don’t know,” he said simply, wrinkling his nose. “I think they would, right?”

Her awed expression transformed into a panicked one. “How are we supposed to find a Silkie in this?” This one city was barely covered a fraction of Earth’s surface! The impossibility of the task before them was starting to dawn on her.

“Relax, Mar’i. We’ll simply ask an Earthling where Killer Moth is,” he assured her, confident.

“Do all Earthlings know each other?”

“Who knows,” he shrugged, making her bristle.

“I thought you thought this through!” she snapped, narrowing her eyes. Even though she could not see him, she knew him well enough that he had an unbothered expression. She squeezed his hand tightly. “You had a journal and everything!”

“I had a journal,” he corrected, “with a plan-- and that plan did not include you! I was not about to redraw my entire operation because you decided to be a grim’unlar and ruin it.”

“A grim’unlar! How dare-”

“Yes, Mar’i, a grim’unlar,” he stated matter-of-factly.

“You wouldn’t have been able to leave Tamaran without my help!” She felt heat pool in her palms and in her eyes; righteous fury demanding justice.

“Yes, yes,” he dismissed neutrally, “but did I need you after? No.”

“You would die on your own, and you know it!” she growled indignantly. 

"Would not!” he shot back, finally becoming annoyed. What was it with her thinking he was useless all the time! Sure, he could not turn invisible, but that not because he was weak or anything-- she was just weird!

“Would to!”

“Would not!”

“Would to!”

“I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself, Mar’i!” he shouted. His anger, also, threatened release. He was ready to blast her.

_Squawk_!

He barely had time to turn around before a flying creature rammed into him. He let out a surprised cry, dropping his sister’s hand. All he saw before he plummeted was his sister’s terrified face and a flurry of grey and black feathers.

Mar’i chased after him, a trail of pink fire followed behind. He was not unconscious, simply stunned beyond belief. The blasted thing had knocked the air of him. He fell for a while before she caught him in her arms, bridal style.

“Jaki!” she cried, shaking his shoulders. Her worried eyes scanned him. He did not appear injured, but he had just dropped several hundred feet in the air. “Jaki, are you okay?”

He slowly opened his eyes, collecting himself. “Ugh,” he groaned, a sour look on his face, “what in X’hal’s name was that?”

She let out a sigh of relief. “It was some kind of flying creature,” she answered, looking back up. The poor thing had also plummeted soon after it collided with her brother’s face. She was not paying attention to where it fell, though, as she was too busy saving him. She saw several more above, flying in a v-formation. “They are kind of cute, Jaki.”

“You think everything is cute, Mar’i,” he huffed, twisting in her grasp. How embarrassing! He had not been on Earth for twenty minutes, and he had already been assaulted by an Earthen sky rodent.

She ignored his comment in favor of looking smug. “So...you still think you don’t need me?”

“Shut up!” he barked, flushing angrily. She smirked in response to which was met with a growl. “And make us invisible, woman! X’hal, do you want the entire planet to be alerted of our presence!”

“Okay, okay!” she snapped but did what she was told. She snatched his hand, and they vanished. “It’s your fault, you know.”

“How is my fault?” he demanded. 

She scoffed, “You should have been paying attention, Jaki.”

“I’m sorry I do not have eyes on the back of my head!” he shot back defensively. He was thankful that they were invisible now, and she could not see his embarrassed blush.

“Do you think anyone saw us?” she asked, ceasing her arguing. Worry edged in her voice.

Jakand’r was silent for a moment, thoughtful. Despite his stint with that diabolical creature, they were still pretty far up. “Nah, I don’t think so.”

She seemed somewhat satisfied with his response. “Then let’s not waste time here anymore. We only have four days until Mama’s birthday,” she said firmly.

“Fine,” he agreed. He heard his stomach rumble. “But let’s find some food first.”

Hand in hand, they set off on their journey,

* * *

Meanwhile, a video trended on the internet, followed by a handful of others. Dozens of news articles sprouted out from the ground. One of them read:

**Glowing Disappearing Space Children Invade New York! IS THIS THE END?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to apologize for any awkward sentences/grammatical errors in this bit. I have not officially edited it. I was so excited to finally have gotten it done that I just posted this bad boy.


	4. Hot Dogs

“Ewww,” Mar’i nearly choked, squeezing her nose between her thumb and index finger. Her face was scrunched up in disgust. For once, she wished she did not have a heightened sense of smell. “X’hal, what is that horrible stench?”

Their search for food had brought them to a remote alleyway sandwiched between an electronics store and a place called Sal’s Shoe Repair. Mar’i had been less than enthused about it. The univiting location was disgustingly humid; its putrid stench violated her nostrils and stifled her airways. It was dark, narrow, and littered with garbage. Starfire would lose her mind if she saw them in such a place. 

However, it did very little to stay in the skies anymore. Flying was energetically expensive and so was being invisible, especially when cloaking another person. The solar energy she acquired from their journey to Earth was depleting, and she knew that she was approaching her limits. 

It was imperative they were not wasteful with their energy usage. They were on a weaponized alien planet, and the sun was setting, which meant that soon they would not have access to ultraviolet radiation. If they wanted to defend themselves or make an escape, they had to be economical with their powers. 

Jakand’r sniffed the air and then shrugged, apparently unaffected. “It’s not so bad.” He dropped her hand, his form becoming realized, and tentatively walked around. His inquisitive eyes absorbed his surroundings-- the dark-green dumpster and the broken bottles by it, the moldy bricks that were covered in graffiti, the metal barrels that were eerily moving. 

His ears picked up the sound of voices up ahead. Jakand’r looked towards the opening of the alley, fixated on the moving figures that passed. He kept to the walls, close enough to observe but not enough to be seen.

Jakand’r had half-expected humans to have eight arms and be covered in scales, but he found himself struck with how similar Earthlings were to Tamaraneans. Symmetrical, bipedal, opposable thumbs-- like him! 

Humans appeared to be a diverse breed, a stark contrast to his people. Tamaran was fairly homogenous, but Earth had a wealth of shapes, sizes, and colors. He never knew hair could be yellow, or brown, or pink! 

His attention was shifted to an older girl with dark hair, much like the color of Mar’i’s and his. Almost all Tamaraneans had fiery red hair, yet theirs was as black as the night sky. Starfire had explained that the color was inherited by their aunt Blackfire, who was inconveniently evil.

Jakand’r knew it was silly, but as he watched the humans, he felt a strange sense of belonging. He wondered if his mother had felt this way, too, when she first came to Earth. 

“They’re quite ugly, yes?” Mar’i asked in his ears. He jumped back and released a rather undignified squeak. She smirked, a mischievous glint in her eye. “What? Did you think I was your feathered friend?” 

“Mar’i!” he hissed, throwing his hands in the air. Of course, she would bring that up again! “Why’d you sneak up on me?”

“I didn’t. You just weren’t paying attention,” she stated flatly, “as usual.” 

“I was watching the Earthlings!” he defended with a frown. He pointed in the direction of the moving figures, “You know, doing research? Being useful?”

“Hey, I’ve been useful! I’m the reason why we can be invisible, remember?” she pointed out, crossing her arms. She snorted, “I feel sluggish because of you.”

“Whatever,” Jakand’r grumbled, rolling his eyes. With a huff, he turned back to the alley opening. “Just don’t startle me like that. You’re lucky I didn’t starbolt you.”

“I wish you would,” she challenged, but he ignored her. The last thing to do was get into a starbolt brawl. He was in the middle of reconnaissance after all. 

“And they’re not ugly,” he added. Earthlings were not stunning by any stretch of the imagination, but they were not hideous. “Before you rudely interrupted me, I was in the middle of coming up with a plan to find us food.”

“Oh really?” she hummed. She put her hands on her rumbling tummy and apologized to her seven stomachs. “Care to share?”

“Well, that’s the thing. There’s nothing to share because you interrupted my process.” As irritated with her as he was, Jakand’r was secretly happy Mar’i brought him back to reality. He was hungry and could not afford to be distracted by human hair colors anymore. 

A scent wafted in the air and arrested his attention. It was not the odor of the overflowing dumpster or the rodent droppings that plagued the alley, but this particular aroma made him salivate and his insides rumble. 

“There!” he piped, pointing at the source of the smell. At the entrance of the alley stood a human male. He sported a hefty belly, thick-rimmed glasses, and a shiny, bald head. He was unextraordinary, but he held in his hand the object of interest. Whatever it was, the man ate heartily and messily, crumbs strewn on his cheeks and a splotch of yellow lined his upper lip. 

“What is he eating?” Mar’i wondered, coming up behind him. She closed her eyes and inhaled. “It smells really good.” 

“Okay, I have a plan,” he said finally. He had the smile on his face she hated. She braced herself for whatever poorly-devised plan he was about to unload.

“What is it?”

“Do you remember last Blorthog?” he asked. She cocked her head in confusion but nodded anyway. “Mama made me recite all 90 verses of the Art of Amity in front of the entire court?”

“You mean, when I whispered all of it in your ear because you-- and I quote-- ‘had better things to do than memorize 90 verses about stupid friendship’?” She swore her brother got more out of her invisibility than she did. 

“Exactly,” he grinned fondly. Their little scheme had been successful for the most part, but they had underestimated how well their mother knew them. She waited until he was in his room to launch into a two-hour lecture about the importance of literature and duty. As punishment, he and Mar’i were forced to listen to all six thousand verses of the Poem of Responsibility. 

“I don’t understand. You want to bore the Earthlings into giving us food by reciting two thousand year old poetry?”

“Not quite,” he answered. “We could do something similar, though. With your invisibility and my genius, we could force that Earthling to do our bidding!”

“How?”

“First, we’d kidnap him-”

“We can’t kidnap him, Jaki!” she admonished, shaking her head furiously. “That’s too risky!”

“X’hal, Mar’i, we won’t hurt him!” he shot back, exasperated. 

“It’s not that! Don’t you think the Earthlings will notice if one of their own goes missing?” she pointed out, her signature eyebrow raised. He was taken aback slightly. He predicted her to be against his idea, but he had expected some kind of moral objection. Instead, she was more concerned that they would get caught. 

He thought for a moment. “We’ll just have to be swift and scary then.” 

“I don’t know about this, Jaki. I’m already feeling a little drained from being invisible for so long.”

While he had crowned her the biggest nuisance this side of the galaxy, Jakand’r did not want her to become sick. “You won’t have to do it very long. All you need to do is bring him back here. Then I will use my powers of persuasion.”

“But- wait,” she paused, giving him an incredulous look, “powers of persuasion? You?”

He shrugged with a confident grin, “Hey, I convinced you to go along with this. Besides, starbolts can be very convincing.”

“I just don’t think this is a good idea.” 

“There’s no other way, Mar’i,” he asserted. 

Before she could reply back, the growling of her stomach silenced her. Earth’s gravitational pull must be making her crazy because she found herself agreeing with him (like she always did).

Snatching the human male was too easy. 

Mar’i acted with speed. Her invisible form floated up to the unsuspecting human as he was about to take the final bite of his food. She gave him no time to react. Small hands gripped his shoulders, and he was blanketed with invisibility. 

He opened his mouth to cry out, but before he could, his feet were lifted into the air and his body was propelled backwards into the dark alley. He was carried with such speed that everything blurred around him. His back slammed against something solid, the force of the blow knocking the wind out of him. 

“ _Oh my god_ !” he gasped, coughing. He dared open his eyes and reeled back. In the span of just four seconds, he had gone from enjoying his meal to levitating against a dirty brick wall. “ _What the hell is this_!”

He screamed when two pairs of glowing eyes accosted him. One pink, one blue. Two little bodies dressed in purple armor floated around him. Aliens! He had been captured by aliens!

“Mar’i, what is this language?” Jakand’r asked curiously. It sounded familiar.

“Oh, oh! I know this one! Mama gave it to me!” Mar’i lit up. The odds of them not knowing this language were slim. Their mother had acquired well over a thousand tongues in her lifetime, and as a result, they knew them as well. A communication barrier was not enough to slow down these twins, especially when their mother loved kissing them so much. 

_“Greetings, Earthling male! Cease your shouting,”_ she tried, the words clunky and awkward in her mouth. She switched back to Tamaranean and turned to Jakand’r, “X’hal, this language is so ugly!”

The man looked at her with sheer terror, his pupils shrinking. _“Oh god, please don’t hurt me! Take my wallet! Just d-don’t hurt me!”_ he begged loudly. Guilt flooded Mar’i when she felt his heartbeat skyrocket in her grasp. She hated how pathetic and horrified he looked. 

_“Quiet yourself! We do not wish to cause you any bodily harm. I only ask that you cooperate with us!”_ Jakand’r spoke to him, having finally remembered the tongue. He was beginning to share his sister’s regret on kidnapping him. He liked to pull pranks and get into trouble, but his actions never escalated into someone fearing for their life. His mother would not be proud if she saw him doing this. He was certainly not proud of himself.

_“Just please don’t hurt me! I’ll do anything!”_ he cried, the whites of his eyes becoming glossy. His body shook all over. The twins exchanged a remorseful look with each other, their shame evident. Their eyes lost their menacing glow. 

_“Please, calm yourself,”_ Mar’i implored, anxious, _“No harm will come to you. We just need your help.”_

_“Hey, look, I don’t know anything about government secrets! Please, don’t probe me!”_

_“I do not seek the government secrets, and we will not be doing the probing of you!”_ Jakand’r assured him adamantly. _“All we desire from you is the food.”_

_“Oh god! You’re gonna eat me!”_ the man sobbed, all color draining from his face. Jakand’r mentally slapped himself for his poor choice of words. 

Mar’i was quick to speak, _“No! We will not be doing the eating of you! We just want whatever you were eating!”_

That made the man’s panic pause temporarily. _“You want my hotdog?”_ he gawked at them with bulging eyes. 

_“This hotdog is what you were eating minutes ago?”_ Jakand’r spied the forgotten food lying on the pavement, only an inch of it left. 

_“Y-yeah,”_ he gulped, nodding. 

_“You must get us the hotdogs,”_ Mar’i said before adding, _“please.”_

The man was at a loss for words. He stood--floated-- there with his mouth wide opened and glasses situated haphazardly on his face. Surely, these glowing, purple space children had not kidnapped him...for hotdogs?

* * *

Allen’s Hotdog Co. was a hotspot in Brooklyn. His cart was a tourist magnet, a frequent favorite for the locals. He had plenty of loyal customers, whose orders he had memorized by heart. One of them was Kevin, a pharmacist. Awkward-- really particular about his hotdog order-- but overall, a nice guy. 

Kevin would come by his cart at least once a day. He rarely deviated from his usual order: a beef frank, sauerkraut, spicy brown mustard, relish, ketchup, onions. It was a far cry from the typical ketchup and mustard order, and Allen liked that about him. 

He checked his phone when it dinged. His son had sent him a link to an article:

**Panic! Space Alien Children in New York City!**

Furrowing his brows, he went to click it but a voice stopped him. “H-hey, Al.”

He looked away from his phone to see Kevin. “Hey, Kev. Back for more?” He was taken aback by how frazzled Kevin looked. He was all sweaty and was unusually pale. He usually had his clothes in an orderly fashion, but now they were in disarray-- almost like he had been manhandled. “You alright, bud?”

The question seemed to make him more nervous. His eyes slid to the side, but he snapped them back in place. “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. I just need two-” he stopped. He turned his head away from Allen, but he could have sworn he was talking to someone. “Um, I’ll need ten dogs, Al.”

“Ten?” Allen repeated, confused. Kevin was a heavier gentleman but ten hot dogs? 

“Y-yeah. My usual, too, _please_.” There was a hint of desperation in his voice.

Allen stared at the pharmacist for a solid two seconds before shrugging. “Alright then.”

It took him nearly twenty minutes to get him the order. A personal triumph, considering how complex Al’s orders are. Thankfully, he had a bag for it all. There’s no way Kevin could carry all of these bad boys by himself.

The total wound up being a whopping $50. It almost hurt Al to tell him the price, yet Kevin pulled out a hundred dollar bill and thrusted it into his hands. It took him a moment to collect his change, but when he turned around, Kev was gone-- and he was left with a $50 tip.

“Hm, weird guy.”

* * *

_“Okay, you got your hot dogs! Can I go now?”_ the Earthling asked as he and the invisible Mar’i returned to the alley. His body was now drenched in sweat, and he was sure he was on the verge of a heart attack. 

Jakand’r examined the bag he returned with, eyes rolling back at the delicitant smell. _“You have done well, Earthling. I am most happy with your cooperation.”_

_“Thank you?”_ Kevin replied awkwardly. They did not give him much of a choice. 

_“We shall pay you handsomely for your service,”_ Mar’i floated next to him, no longer invisible. _“We have ample money._ ” She reached for the bag Jakand’r had brought and dug around. Finally, she pulled out a wad of iridescent paper and handed it to him expectantly. _“I think you will find this more than enough.”_

He gingerly accepted it from her but then stuffed it in his jacket pocket. He would have to examine it later; his only goal now was to escape. _“Thanks, but I just want to go home.”_ He was quite done with glowing, invisible, oddly-articulate space children. _“That was the deal.”_

_“You are correct, but I must ask of you one more thing before you depart.”_

_“What?”_ he nearly cried. 

_“I ask that you provide all the information you have on an Earthling known as Killer Moth.”_ Jakand’r was thankful that he was able to set aside his hunger to remember their mission. 

Kevin only looked at him strangely. “ _Who?”_

_“Killer Moth?”_ Mar’i interjected, brows furrowed. _“You do not know his whereabouts?”_

_“I don’t even know the guy.”_

The siblings looked at each, downtrodden. _“That is...most disappointing,”_ Jakand’r sighed. 

_“Who would know of this man?”_ Mar’i questioned. There has to be someone on this blasted planet who knew where Killer Moth was!

_“I don’t know! Probably one of those superhero freaks!”_ Kevin fumed. In the end, that was probably what this whole thing was about. 

_“What is that?”_ Mar’i asked. 

“W _hat is what?”_ he snapped impatiently.

_“What is a superhero?”_ Mar’i rolled her eyes, annoyed that she had to reiterate herself. 

_“I don’t know...like Superman? Or you know, Batman? Lunatics who fight crime and whatnot,”_ he huffed. He would think that they would at least know who Superman is. But maybe that was a little racist. Not all aliens knew each other. 

_“Batman?”_

_“Superman?”_

_“Listen, I did what you asked me! I got you hot dogs-- now I get to leave?”_ His patience had dwindled out ages ago along with his sanity. 

_“You must keep this encounter a secret,”_ Mar’i said, narrowing her eyes. 

_“Yeah, yeah, sure! I won’t tell anyone. No one will believe me anyway. I mean, two freaking aliens abducted me and made me buy them hotdogs?”_

_“Do the swearing of the oath!”_ Jakand’r insisted. He and Mar’i nodded to each other and pinned him with a defiant look. 

“W _hat?”_ Kevin shouted. 

_“Swear an oath to us that you will not utter a word of our meeting!”_ Mar’i repeated. Earthlings may not be as civilized as Tamaraneans, but they must know what an oath is. 

He groaned exasperatedly and slapped his forehead. _“Fine, fine. I swear an oath that I will not utter a word of our meeting.”_

_“On your life!”_ Jakand’r urged. 

_“OKAY. On my life.”_

_“And...should you go against your oath, we are...” Mar’i paused, thinking before exclaiming, “we are Gordanians!”_

Jakand’r was quick to agree, his head bobbing up and down. _“Yes, yes, it was us, the Gordanians, who have kidnapped you and forced you to get us the hotdogs.”_

_He blinked slowly a few times before sighing. “Okay… I don’t know what that is, but sure.”_

Jakand’r looked at Mar’i who shrugged. They looked upon him, unimpressed. _“Very well. You may leave, Earthling.”_

Kevin did not need to be told twice. He bolted from that alley, running faster than he ever had in his life. He almost stepped on his half-eaten, forgotten hotdog. 

* * *

They moved to a random rooftop to eat their meal. They ate in silence, too hungry for words, and listened to the sound of the bustling city around them. 

As it turns out, hotdogs were pretty tasty. Their seven stomachs were certainly satisfied. mar’i was not the biggest fan of the white paper that surrounded the hotdogs, so she let her brother have hers. 

“Do you think that Earthling will-”

“Oh yes, for sure,” Jakand’r cut in, swallowing down his third hot dog. “But we have outwitted him. He thinks we are Gordanians.”

“I feel bad,” she admittedly quietly, eyes cast down. 

He looked up and asked, “Why?” 

“I did not like scaring him. He thought we were going to hurt him.”

“We had to do what we had to do. We needed food,” Jakand’r said simply. 

“But-” 

“But nothing, Mar’i. Our mission is imperative. Mama’s happiness is on the line.”

“I know that-”

“Do you want General Phy’zzon as a stepfather?” He hated being cruel, but it seemed that the importance of their mission had not set in. 

“Ew, don’t even say that!” she scowled. She was angry that he put that mental image in her brain. 

“Exactly.” With that, he continued eating, chomping away at his meal. 

Mar’i looked at the city before her. Night had finally come. She was perplexed that she could not see the stars anymore, but the lights of the buildings and streets illuminated the sky. She still preferred starlight, but the city was still enchanting. “Hey, Jaki?”

“Hm?” 

“What city is this?” 

It took him a moment to remember. He snapped his fingers when the name came back to him. “It’s called New York City.”

“Why did we come here?”

He cocked his head, his face incredulous. “Umm.. to regain Mama’s happiness?” 

She smacked his arm gently. “No, potkar! Why did you set the coordinates to this city?” 

“Oh,” he said lamely. He hesitantly lowered his hotdog. Wiping his dirty hands on the ground, he rummaged through his bag. He pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to her. “I found this in Mama’s room.”

“You were snooping?” She almost felt bad for taking their mother’s private item, but her curiosity was too great and took it anyway.

“No! I wasn't snooping! She took my favorite sword, and I was just trying to get it back. And I found this in a box underneath her bed.”

She delicately unfolded the paper. It was a photograph of their mother. Mar'i’s eyes roamed the picture, awed at her mother’s beauty. She looked different-- still unbelievably gorgeous but not the same. Younger, more Earthen. She was wearing a black top that revealed her golden chest and shoulders. Luscious red locks outlined her face and body, making her look like she was fire itself. Her striking green orbs flirted with the camera-- daring and free. 

Mar’i eyes rounded and mouth opened slightly. It had never occurred to her that her mother had a life before them. “On the back,” Jakand’r said, watching her reaction. She turned the paper over and revealed writing.

_Shot by Aurora Photo Studios_

_Manhattan, New York City_

_“Kory,_

_Love ya to the moon and back._

_-Donna”_

They sat in contemplative silence for several minutes before Mar’i called to him, “Jaki.” 

“Yeah?”

“Do you think I will ever be as beautiful as Mama?”

“Hmmm… maybe if you whined less.”

The hotdog in his hand exploded. 

* * *

Kevin stormed out of the police station after an hour of being viciously ridiculed. There had been a dozen other citizens who just happened to have encounters with the mystery space twins. His story was the more outlandish of the bunch. Seriously? Space kids who wanted hotdogs. He was met with indifference, some snarky comments about hitting the bottle too early, and a warning should he think about bothering them again. 

It was nearly 10 o’clock, and he had work in the morning, which didn’t matter. He was going to call in sick anyway. With the day he had, he would probably be in bed all week. He walked into his apartment, arms heavy by his side. He was ready to end what felt like the longest day ever. 

He was happy to be back in his home. Safe. No crazy alien kids to boss him around. 

His hand searched his jacket pocket for that last piece of gum when he felt something unfamiliar there instead. His eyes snapped open and he flung the wad of space cash out. “I am an idiot!” 

Kevin had proof of his ‘abduction’ right there! How could he have forgotten about that! 

He grabbed the paper in a tight grip, more determined than ever, and turned to head back out the door. Those cops would be sorry for mocking him!

_Smash!_

The sound of glass breaking caused Kevin to screech and fall to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Oh god, they came back for him! They knew he broke his oath and now they were back for revenge! 

“The hotdogs stands are all closed! Please, go away!” he yelled, voice cracking with fear. He expected them to blast him, but instead, nothing happened. No little hands, no weird invisibility shit, no glowing eyes, or floating. Nothing. Nada. 

He slowly opened his eyes and stood up. The apartment was dark-- eerily quiet. The only trace of life was the heavy sound of his breathing and the loud beating of his heart. He walked forward slowly to the kitchen where the crash had come from. 

The window above his dining nook had been shattered. The glass that littered his tile floor sparkled in the pale moonlight. 

His breath hitched in his throat, and his heart stopped. This was all too much. He needed to get out of here!

Frantically, Kevin whipped around to dart out the door but collided with a solid mass. He fell back to the floor, glass puncturing his skin. Blood oozed from his hands and elbows. His glasses fell over yonder. His mind was scattered. 

Without his glasses, he was practically blind. Everything was a blurry darkness. All he could make out was the dark figure in front of him. 

And the blue ‘v’ that glared menacingly at him. 

“Hello, sorry, not a big fan of breaking into people’s apartments,” a silky male voice said, amused, “but I think you and I need to talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the comments/kudos! 
> 
> Wow, this chapter took a long time to do. I'm not a seasoned fanfic writer. You may notice that sometimes this reads like a science report, which is kind of my speciality lol. I was sort of experimenting in this chapter. Also, I know that OC, punching bag characters are kind of a tired trope, but I wanted some light heartedness before the story gets a bit more serious. 
> 
> Also, I’m aware that the twins speak fairly mature for 8 year olds. This partly for my sanity. I wanted to make them young, but I could not commit to writing 8 year old dialogue. Sorrrry
> 
> There's so much dialogue in this one, but if I could, I would have an entire chapter of just the twins bantering about absolutely nothing.


	5. Instant and Explosive

Five minutes. It took his fury five minutes and three rooftops later to finally explode.

Using all of his strength, Nightwing slammed his right fist into the nearest brick wall. The pain was instantaneous; shockwaves rippled through him. The bricks crumbled underneath his fingers, joining the cockroaches and cigarette buds on the ground. His glove did its best to protect his hand against the assault, but no doubt a bruise was already forming.

He willed his breathing to steady, focusing on the rise and fall of the blue ‘v’ across his chest. The white flash in his vision subsided along with its feverish heat. Seconds later, Nightwing slumped to the ground for a much needed breather.

_You need to stay calm_ , he chided himself, _nothing’s been confirmed._ _Don’t lose your head just yet_.

The domino mask hid the flurry of emotions coursing through him. His mouth was set in a flat, tight line, jaw clenched. It was the middle of November in New York City, yet his skin felt like it was burning against the chilly air. Nightwing desperately wished his mind could decide on a feeling and stick with it. Anger. Fear. Illogical excitement? The last five hours had taken him on an emotional rollercoaster, but one thing that remained consistent was the surge of adrenaline in his veins.

He pulled out the crumpled space credits from his utility belt. If Kevin knew how much the alien kids really gave him, perhaps he would not have relinquished it so easily. Equivalently, it was enough to buy a Manhattan penthouse. Sure, space credits did not translate to the monetary systems on Earth, but there were several people, nefarious or otherwise, here who would be very interested in this kind of money.

The fact that they gave him this much told Nightwing a lot. They were young and did not understand the value of their money, and they came from great wealth. The latter did not surprise him-- if his assumption on who exactly they were was correct.

The sparkling bills in front of him held the answer to his burning question. However, deep inside, he already knew. He saw so much of himself in them already, and he had not even seen them in person yet. Her smile, his nose and cheeks, their hair. Things he had already cemented in his memory. It was all him. Hell, had it not been for the glowing green eyes and the superpowers, the boy was a carbon copy of him

Now, he had DNA. Confirmation. There was no telling whose would be on it, but it did not matter. All he needed to do was isolate any and all genetic strands on each note and run a paternity test on it. He was grateful Bruce had multiple safehouses in New York, equipped with super computers and biometric scanners galore, because he sure as hell was not leaving the city any time soon.

Nightwing allowed himself several seconds to stare at the alien money in his hands, his thumbs tenderly touching the edges. It was not lost to him that his (maybe) daughter had touched it.

With a leveled sigh, he got up, scolding himself for his lack of control. There was no time for emotional outbursts-- that could wait until later. The only reason the League or anyone else hadn’t acted yet was because he pulled in some favors, and while he could count on his allies to not interfere, that was not necessarily the case for criminals or psychotic, evil masterminds. Whatever he was going to do, he had to do it fast.

Routinely, he would have just confronted them. Asked who they were, why were they on Earth. Maybe get into an alien brawl or embark in some intergalatic diplomacy. Stuff he had done many times before as the leader of the Titans, as Batman's sidekick, and as a solo vigilante. However, it took one powerful, earth-shattering look at those flying, glow-stick kids, and he knew he could not go in without the _full_ truth. 

The communicator in his mask sounded off. In the last five hours, he had been bombarded with calls. The news of the mysterious space children spread far and wide, and it seemed that all of his friends, family, and superhero colleagues had shared the same conclusion as he. Even Barbara had called, and she had been keeping her distance since their last break up. He sighed and answered, “Hey, Cy. Not a good time."

"Too bad, we're talking," his former teammate responded, unwavering. Cyborg had been the first Titan to contact him. In fact, it was his phone call that prompted Dick to leave the mountain of paperwork he had been working on and watch the breaking news about the New York City space invaders. Since Beast Boy and Raven were enjoying their blissful married years in Azarath, the news reached them several hours later. He preferred a call from Cyborg, though, because he kept the mention of _her_ to a minimum. 

And he absolutely did not want to talk about _her_ right now. At least, not yet.

Rolling his eyes, he set out to a safehouse. It was only a couple blocks away. Lucky for him, Kevin's apartment happened to be close. He was becoming antsier by the second, and the last thing he needed right now was more moments alone with his emotions, which were becoming more unhinged by the second. "I got DNA," Nightwing supplied as he jumped from one building to the next. 

To the untrained eye, he was as graceful as ever, but in reality, his movements were jerkier, more erratic. 

"How'd you manage to get that?" Cyborg asked, half-surpised-half-not. It made sense that Dick would be on top of this. The moment he saw the news he left Blüdhaven in a heartbeat and booked it to New York. 

"Wasn't as hard as you'd expect," Nightwing answered. "They're not...very careful."

"Well, they are super young. They'd be about-" Cyborg stopped mid-sentence, realizing his mistake. 

"Eight. They'd be around _eight._ " There was no hiding the anger in his voice. Bile rose in his throat. The white, hot anger he had felt before resurfaced. It suffocated him, wrapped around like a live wire. "Fucking _eight._ "

Eight years. Almost a decade. Nine years since his breakup with _her._ If the resemblance was not enough proof, the math was. 

"Yeah..." Cyborg trailed awkwardly. His last intention was to work Dick up; the man was already knee-deep in rage. A lot hung in the air, a lot needed to be said, yet it was unimportant. Right now, there were two Tamaranean children running amuck in one of the most populated cities in the world. "Look, man, if you need anything-"

"This is something I've got to do-"

"On your own," Cyborg finished with a huff. Those three words were a broken record at this point. "I get it, I do. But dude, you don't have to do this by yourself. We're family, remember?"

Nightwing let out a sigh, trying to ignore the guilty feeling in his chest. _Everyone_ had been worried about him. His extensive call log proved it. The Titans. Bruce. Alfred. Tim. Even Jason (even if it was to mock him about birth control and the Maury Show)! He had spent twenty minutes convincing an incensed Damian to stay in Gotham. 

_"Look, I'm touched that you care but-"_

_"Tt. Don't be so sentimental, Grayson. I merely want to ensure you don't get yourself killed. I don't want to have to deal with a mourning Father and Pennyworth."_

_"Mhmm, sure. Anyway, the situation's being covered. I don't need your help."_

_"Don't be an imbecile; of course, you need my help. You forget that I'm a trained assassin."_

_"Yes, you've told me many times bef-"_

_"And Jon Kent is a close_ _ally-"_

_"Just call him your best friend-"_

_"Mother may hate me right now, but I could acquire a Lazarus Pit. It might take some time, but I can do it."_

_"Damian, that's not necessary. Thank you, but this is something I gotta do alone."_

He appreciated it, really he did, but as a Batman-of-a-thing to say, he had to do this on his own. "I know, Cy, I know," he amended softly. He was coming up close to the safehouse. "I just need to play this one pretty close to the chest. At least, for right now." 

If Cyborg was unsatisfied with his answer, he did not say. Instead, he released a low sigh, "Okay, just don't forget that I'm here for you. We're _all_ here for you. Cyborg out."

The call ended, and Nightwing was alone once more. Fortunately, he had arrived at the safehouse. It was an unsuspecting, dilapidated building. It used to be a fire station and was going to be demolished before Bruce bought it anonymously years ago. On the outside, it was a ratty old building, definitely haunted, but on the inside, it was stocked with multi-million dollar computers, an arsenal of weapons, and enough medical supplies to rival an actual hospital. It was pretty handy to have, especially to run impromptu paternity tests. 

He made his way to the back of the building where there was an unassuming mailbox attached to the door. He opened it and saw the hidden keypad inside. He typed in the code and stood still as the scanner from atop of the door went over his face, confirming his identity. A green light flashed twice, followed by the sounds of metal shifting. Without wasting anymore time, he opened the steel door, which had been cleverly disguised as a rundown wooden one, and practically darted inside. 

There was no time to waste. As soon as he got to the computers, he placed the space credits on the scanners, gently straightening each bill accordingly. Then, he ran the DNA diagnosis. A neon light flashed over them. It would take several minutes to complete. Until then, he would be left in complete agony. 

While he waited for the analysis to complete, he pulled up surveillance footage on another monitor. On the roof of Sal's Shoe Repair laid two sleeping, Tamaranean children. Around them a pile of hot dog wrappers (or the ones that remained uneaten by the boy). The little boy sat cross-legged, back towards his sister, bent forward. His hands supported his head. It was a sweet gesture; it allowed the girl to have a reclined place to rest. She had her arms wrapped around his middle, head to the side with a mouth wide open. Drool dribbled down the sides of her face. It looked comfy for her but incredibly uncomfy for him. 

This was how he found out about Kevin and the hotdog stint. As soon as he saw them on the news, he had gotten access to every security camera in New York. They were not hard to find. He ran their images on the computer and found matches on several feeds within minutes. One feed happened to catch them kidnapping Kevin. Nightwing was not thrilled that they had resulted in kidnapping but was pleased that they did not harm him.

His eyes softened as he flickered over their sleeping forms. A part of him felt foolish. The paternity test had not even been performed, yet he was already convinced that they were the most beautiful beings he'd ever seen. They were so little, so full of personality. 

He liked the way they talked to each other, even if he could not hear them. The boy would say something to annoy the girl, act smug, and then the girl would retort with something and they'd bicker. Their arguments ended just as quickly as they started. He liked the way their eyes lit up and little bodies floated when they discovered something new, how they laughed with their entire faces. 

Despite all the odds, he really should not hope they were his. He was Lieutenant Dick Grayson, prodigal son of Bruce Wayne. He was Nightwing, defender of Blüdhaven. His purpose was to defend the innocence. He faced off against the supernatural, bullets, ninja assassins, psychopaths on the regular. There was no room in his life for children-- they were a liability! The logical thing to want is for them to not be his. 

And yet... as he gazed upon their black mops, he wanted the exact opposite. It was kind of funny. He had known plenty of pain in his life; there was not a shortage of death in his line of work. Disappointment? Yeah, absolutely. Anger? Plenty. But there was also a lot of love. His family, his friends, his girlfriends. 

But this, what he felt for them-- in just the span of a measly five hours-- had eclipsed it all. The love was instant and explosive. It-- begrudgingly-- reminded him of how he felt about _her._ Instant and explosive.

It was strange. There were so many more important questions to wonder. Why are you here? Do you know who I am? Are you in danger? But as he waited for the computer to do its thing, he could not help but contemplate the nonsensical ones. 

What were their favorite colors? Would they like the aquarium? What kind of cereal would they like? Which hand did they write with? 

A notification popped up on the screen, breaking him from his thoughts. Seven DNA samples detected. Only one was human, which had to be Kevin's. The rest were extraterrestrial. His DNA was already in the system, and all he had to do was run it against the remaining strands. He knew for certain the girl was one of the samples. He had witnessed her touch the bills. He could not account for the boy, however. All he needed was a match, hopefully two. Without a second thought, he began the test.

He flopped back in his chair and waited and waited.

* * *

Bruce walked in to Dick pounding away at the canvas bag. His punches were erratic and violent, the impressions on the bag deep. He looked like a feral animal. 

Bruce maintained his emotionless visage when the bag could no longer stand his eldest son's abuse and ripped open. Sand spilled out onto the gym floor. Dick stood over it, breathing heavily, his body incredibly rigid. His hands remained in tight fists. He had probably heard Bruce come in but chose not to say anything. 

Honestly, Dick should have known Bruce was going to come anyway. The phone call had gone too well, and he had fooled himself into believing his mentor would have respected his wishes to handle this situation alone. 

"You may use my safehouse but try not to ruin the equipment," he said flatly with a raised eyebrow. 

Dick sighed, rubbing the sweat off his forehead. He lazily kicked some sand off his foot and shrugged. "Sorry." 

All Dick could see was a frown. Bruce was in uniform; his expression was unreadable. "I take it they're yours?" 

The silence that followed was all the answer he needed. Dick's eyes were lowered to the ground. He had forgone the mask after the DNA results had come in; the area of where it had been was red and swollen. He had practically tore the damned thing off. It stung, but he gladly welcomed it. He needed to feel something in his fury. 

Wordlessly, Bruce walked up to his son and softly placed a hand on his shoulder. He felt for him. A year ago, Talia done the same thing to him with Damian. "What next?" he asked carefully. 

"Kevin Michealson-- the man they kidnapped--" Dick clarified, "he said they asked him about Killer Moth."

Bruce's brows furrowed and returned his frown. "What could they possibly want with him?"

Dick pulled away from the hand on his shoulder and turned towards him. The unbidden rage and sadness morphed into determination as he pulled his mask from belt and put it back on. Okay, emotional outburst over. "I don't know, but I'm about to find out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the reviews and kudos! I may or may not have reread them several hundred times lol.
> 
> I had to write and rewrite this stupid chapter so many times. I'm still not that into it, but this is a story about fatherhood.. so I guess I had to include a chapter about the father. The twins are so much fun to write because of their banter and childlike actions,,, and while Nightwing is one of the lighter personalities of the Batfamily, he's still not two 8 year-olds traveling to Earth to find their mom a pet worm. And so much angst. bleh IT RUINS THE VIBE OF KID SPACE ADVENTURE
> 
> I also have never had illegitimate children that I did not know about. Um.. I am female, so probably a lil hard. But I imagine the emotion one would feel in that situation is probably anger. So I decided that Nightwing would probably be pissed.
> 
> THE MEETING IS COMING SOON I PROMISE.


	6. The Meeting pt. I

_Starfire’s smile radiated enough heat to power a thousand suns. Jakand’r loved many things about his mother: her hugs, her stories, her starbolts, her mane of red hair. By far, his favorite thing was her smile, never failing to make him feel loved and safe._

_They sat amongst the magnificent flora in the Palace Gardens. Starfire had an impressive collection of plants. Some of the flowers were of Tamaran, the remaining survivors of a devastated planet, and others were of foriegn worlds. All manner of vegetation was present. Herbs, fruits, berries, vegetables. She prided in maintaining a garden that was beautiful but also practical._

_His and Mar'i's favorite was a fruit his mother called a mango. They would frequently munch on those with zorkaberries._

_His head laid comfortably on her lap as she brushed her fingers through his hair, the world around them peaceful. “My little bumgorf, I think we should take a vacation soon,” she hummed with a smile, eyes half-lidded._

_He perked up with bright eyes. It had been a long while since their last vacation. Her duties as Grand Ruler had kept her away, and he was eager to have her all to himself. “Really?” he asked excitedly._

_“Yes, I think it will be fun!” she chirped animatedly, the corners of her eyes crinkling. The sun caught the jewel in her circlette and sparkled. “We could go to the sandy beaches of Yu’lonnyak or the hot springs of Sython IV. Wherever you want.”_

_Jakand’r made a thoughtful face. “I want to go to the beaches, but I know that we’ll wind up going to the hot springs,” he grumbled._

_“_ _Oh?” she smirked, amused. Her thumb rubbed affectionate circles on his temple._

_“_ _Mar’i would want to go to the hot springs,” he explained, “and we all know she likes baths and spas.”_

_“She does like to be pampered,” Starfire affirmed with a giggle. She sighed, enjoying the gentle breeze in the air. “But your father may vote for the beaches.”_

_Jakand’r’s breathing halted, and his eyes rounded. “My what?” he exclaimed, jolting up from her lap. The tranquility of the moment evaporated._

_Starfire seemed taken aback by his expression and looked at him with concern. “Your father, Jaki? He will want to go to the beaches. You know, he hates spas and-”_

_“You said Papa was dead!” he blurted out. His mind was racing. It was impossible! His father had died before he and Mar’i were born!_

_She cocked her head, red hair spilling over her shoulder. She placed the back of her hand on his forehead. “Are you okay, Jaki?” she inquired worriedly. “Your father is not dead. We saw him only hours ago.”_

_“That’s not true!” he shot back, moving away from her hand. What was wrong with her! There were only three members in their family! It had only ever been three-- him, Mama, and Mar’i! No more! And there never would be!_

_She gave him a hard stare before her eyes caught something behind him. “Look, my love,” she said, nodding her head past him. “He is coming now with your sister.”_

_Jakand’r whipped his head around immediately. His heart nearly jumped out of his chest._

_That was not his sister! And that was not his father!_

_Mar’i came skipping over, hand in hand with...General Phy’zzon! Except it was not Mar’i. Mar’i had long black hair, and this imposter’s was as white as Tamaran’s twin moons. It was the same color as that dishonorable man’s!_

_He scrambled up from his place on the ground. “Mar’i, what are you doing?” he screeched. He eyed the interlocking hands of the General and Mar’i and nearly retched._

_She gave him an annoyed look, raising an eyebrow and hand on her hip. “Coming to sit with you and Mama?”_

_He gawked at her. He could feel sweat drip down the sides of his face. That was weird. He was temperature resistant, and now, he felt all hot all over. “What’s going on? A-and why do you have white hair?”_

_Now, she seemed at a loss. “Are you feeling okay, Jaki? My hair has always been white, just like yours.”_

_It felt like cold water had been splashed over him. He backed away slowly, head shaking and stuttering, “That’s not true!”_

_They all looked at him as if he were crazy. Phy’zzon approached the panicked boy, a concerned expression on his face. It was disgustingly parental. “Son, are you okay?”_

_“Don’t call me that!” he barked, voice cracking. Tears started rolling down his face and pointed his hand at him, starbolt ready._

_“Jakand’r!” Starfire hissed, a scolding frown on her face. “You will be kind to your father!”_

_“He is not my father!” Jakand’r cried. “He’s an imposter, Mama! You have to believe me!”_

_“Stop being mean to Papa!” Mar’i yelled, eyes glowing. This was all wrong; Mar’i was always on his side! This man must have poisoned her against him and dyed her hair that ridiculous color._

_“My boy, please, calm down!” Phy’zzon held out his hand to him, a softness in his eyes._

_Before he released the starbolt, Jakand’r spotted his reflection in his gauntlet. Sure enough, his hair matched his sister’s. Bright white, just like the General’s!_

_He trembled all over, body numb. Tears rolled down his face as his mouth struggled to find the words-_

* * *

_Smack!_

His head hurled backwards, having painfully collided with something hard. He quickly moved his hands to his forehead to ease its throbbing.

“Jaki, what’s wrong with you?” Mar’i demanded angrily. She clenched her own aching forehead, eyes closed tight in pain. 

“Sorry,” he groaned. Gradually, the pounding in his head subsided. His eyes opened to see the sunrise. The geometric buildings of Earth stood imposingly around them. For a brief moment, he had forgotten that they were not on Tamaran anymore, and they were not 26 light-years away. 

His eyes flickered to her hair. He nearly fainted in relief. "Thank X'hal, your hair is black!"

She gave him a funny look and took a lock of her hair, examining it. "Yes, it's always been black, Jaki. Why wouldn't it be?" 

He gulped and pushed down his anxiety. "In my dream, you had white hair," he answered tentatively. 

"White hair?" she echoed, brows furrowed. Then, she gasped, eyes widening, and realization dawned on her. "Just like-"

"General Phy'zzon," he finished for her. A wave of nasty shivers overcame him as he said the very name. "You looked terrible by the way."

"Oh yuck, that means he was my father!" she scowled, vehemently shaking her head. "That's even worse than him being my stepfather!" 

"I know!" Jakand'r readily agreed, head bobbing up and down. "And if he's your father, then he's my father, too!"

"So you had white hair as well?" 

He hesitated-- the image almost too vile to remember. "Yeah. I was still handsome, thank X'hal, but yes."

She narrowed her eyes at his comment, sour that he basically called her ugly seconds ago, but she dismissed it. She held her hair protectively and bit her lip, "I like my hair black, Jaki."

Jakand'r felt guilt edge its way inside him. He had been frightening her with the prospect of General Phy'zzon as a potential family member. The thought disturbed him greatly, but he should not overburden her with his anxieties. "Listen, it was just a dream, Mar'i. We'll find a new Silkie, get Mama's happiness back, and make General Phy'zzon cry."

Doubt etched her features, and she exclaimed, “We've been on this planet for a day, and we're no closer to finding this Moth Man!"

She paced-floated in circles, stressed. She was making him dizzy, so he caught her elbow and stopped her. "We just need to stay confident, Mar'i," he assured her. "There has to be one person on this planet who knows where he is."

"But Jaki, we only have three days until Mama's birthday, a-and there are so many Earthlings! Why are there so many Earthlings?" she freaked out, pointing at the sun. Although sunlight recharged them, it was a stinging reminder that time was of the essence.

“Mar’i, we’re going to be okay,” he asserted resolutely. He needed to calm her down, or soon, they would both be freaking out. “You and me-- we’re Mama’s children. There’s no way we could fail.” 

She looked uneasy, but her deposition lightened a bit. “Do you really think we can do it, Jaki?” 

“Absolutely, Mar’i.” He nodded firmly and offered his hand to her, a gleam in his eye. "Handshake?" 

Her worries dissipated and a smile blossomed on her lips. "Handshake." 

Her hand met his, and together, they performed a series of complicated hand movements. It had taken them years to develop a special handshake; it evolved along with their secret language and secret writing system. Unbeknownst to them, the latter two had been compromised, but Starfire was not ready to divulge that. They reserved it for only special occasions because a super-special handshake could only be performed in the darkest of times, and that was just a fact of life. 

And these were dark times. 

They looked at each other with renewed determination. "So...what now?" Mar'i asked, eyes alit. 

"The hotdog man told us yesterday that these 'superheroes' would know where he is. I think all we've got to do is find one of these 'superheroes' and ask where Killer Moth is.” Although the Earthen male had been useful in getting them food, he got them practically nowhere in their search for Killer Moth. He did, however, provide them with a new lead. 

"And where are we supposed to find a 'superhero'?" she questioned. 

Jakand'r looked strained for a split second before reeling it back in. "I have no idea," he said with misplaced confidence. 

Frowning, Mar’i opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, someone's singing interrupted her. 

_"Ooh, and it's alright and it's coming along_

_We gotta get right back to where we started from"_

The proximity of the voice spooked them. Their heads whipped around, frantically trying to find the source of song, but the rooftop was completely empty, save for them. 

_"Love is good, love can be strong_

_We gotta get right back to where started from"_

"What is that noise?" Jakand'r wondered aloud, nose wrinkling. He took a step closer to his sister, slightly unnerved.

"I think it's singing" she answered hesitantly, confusion lacing her words. The voice was distinctly male and was as pitchy as it was ear-piercing. She winced, "Bad singing."

_"Do you remember that day (that sunny day)_

_When you first came my way"_

Jakand'r pointed to the left side of the roof, "There!" 

They wasted little time and followed in the direction of the voice, squatting behind the three feet, brick parapet. Whoever was singing was on the building adjacent to theirs. 

_"I said no one could take your place_

_And if you get hurt (if you get hurt)"_

Two pairs of blinking green eyes peeked over the ledge of the parapet and spotted their mysterious singer. A level below, barely twenty feet away, an Earthling male leisurely strutted. His gait had a certain swing to it, dancing almost. He swayed his arms to the tune of his singing and whirled around. 

His outfit was unlike any other Earthlings they’d seen. The man wore a tight-fitting suit that was almost completely black, save for the striking blue 'v' that extended across his chest and back. It showed off his impressive physique. He was small compared to the average Tamaranean male, but his muscular form squashed any doubt that he was in great shape. If it were not for his obnoxious singing, they would find him an imposing figure.

"Why does he cover his face?" Mar'i whispered, staring at him in wonder. The little mask he wore covered a significant portion of his face. She could not tell if the white over his eyes was a part of him or a part of the mask. She briefly wondered if he was blind. 

"I don't know," Jakand'r murmured. "Maybe he's ugly."

_“By the little things I say_

_I can put that smile back on your face”_

“X’hal, he’s very loud,” he cringed. The man did another twirl and shook his bottom playfully. “This is embarrassing to watch.”

“I think he’s entertaining,” Mar’i giggled, eyes following the man’s every move. A grin formed on her lips. “He seems like he’s having fun.”

“Why don’t you go join him then?” he teased, bumping her shoulder gently. 

“I don’t want to get in his way,” she grinned. Something caught her eyes, “What does he have there?”

Several feet away from the dancing man was a bright red blanket with some unusual things on it. A thatched basket, a yellow-orange tub, mini metal barrels, and a circular disk adorned with strange markings in it. Her heightened sense of smell told her it was some kind of food. Was the man possibly feasting and this dance was a kind of ritual?

_“Ooh, and it's alright and it's coming along_

_We gotta get right back to where-”_

Their singer’s song was ended prematurely by a ringing noise. His body stopped its dancing, and his hand moved towards something on his hip. They squinted and saw the source of the ringing; it was a small object, most likely a communicator. 

_“Hello?”_ the man chirped brightly. His voice sounded different when he was not belting his soul out. _“Aw, Cyborg! Where are you, man? I got your favorite pizza-- bananas, pickles, and mint icing! Oh, and…”_ He picked up the yellow tub. _“That mustard you like!”_

Several seconds of silence followed before he spoke again, _“What? What do you mean you can’t come? Man, and I got all this food, too! Now, I have to eat it all by myself! Wow, if only I had someone to share this with!”_

He turned away from them, his shoulders dramatically falling. _“I’m disappointed, man. I was really hoping to talk to you about Killer Moth. Man, I have so much to say about Killer Moth. What he’s doing...his whereabouts.”_

* * *

Mar'i’s and Jakand’r’s eyes narrowed at the same time and exchanged a look, unbelieving of what they just heard. “What in X’hal’s name is this!” Mar’i hissed, face twisting. 

“Well, that is obviously a trap,” her brother stated blandly. 

“Does he think we’re stupid?” Mar’i was offended! As if they’d fall for something as transparent as that!

“Do you know what this means?” Jakand’r asked suddenly. Unconsciously, his fingers dug into the bricks of the parapet, eyes turning bright blue. 

“The Earthlings know we're here?” Mar’i answered worriedly.

“Well, yes,” he shrugged before snarling, “that human from yesterday ratted us out!” 

Her eyes lit up in realization. “That snitch!” she growled angrily. “Now, I don’t regret taking it!”

He cocked his head, “Taking what?” 

She looked sheepish for a moment before digging into the pocket of her purple skirt. She pulled out a small, brown object. “This is where the human stored his money.”

Jakand’r eyes bulged out. He had to do a double take. “Wait, you stole this? You?”

She flushed and nodded. “It is as you said. We are on a hostile alien planet, and our mission is of the utmost importance,” she defended.

“When did you take this?” he questioned. Mar’i never did bad things without his prompting; she was always a goody-two-shoes.

She looked to the ground, “After he paid for the hotdogs,” she answered in a low voice. 

“What? That was way before we had that talk!” he practically cried. He really did not have any moral objections to her stealing, but it still baffled him that she took it and kept it secret for this long. 

“Hey, now we have Earthen currency, and we know where that snitch lives!” she huffed, indignant, arms crossed. She had found the location of his dwelling written on a white card in his coin pouch.

“What do you want to do? Beat him up?” he scowled. 

“No!” she cried, red-faced. “Maybe we can teach him the importance of honoring an oath!”

“-that sounds like beating him up!”

“Well, it’s not! We can recite to him all six-thousand verses of the Poem of Honor!”

“How is that punishing him? That sounds like torture both ways!”

“Ugh, I wish you appreciated literature! All you care about is stupid rocks and swords!”

“I’m sorry I’m not boring like you, Mar’i-- and I have a personality!”

“I’m not boring!” she screeched, eyes glowing pink. 

“Are too!”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

_“Hello!”_

The siblings let out a high-pitch shriek before jumping several feet in the air. Their arms had found their way around each other, gripping the other tightly. Their hearts pounded wildly in their chest.

They turned around and found their mysterious man-- no longer twenty feet away-- behind them. They were face to face with him. Terror gripped them while he smiled widely at them. 

_“I’m sorry I scared yo-”_

He did not get a chance to finish his sentence before they rained down pink and blue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I agonized over their meeting. It changed a lot. I had to decide if I wanted to go with the action-packed route or the silly, comedy one. And I decided on the funny one bc it felt more in character and the vibe I want for this story. There will be plenty of serious, angsty moments later, but in general, anything written in the kid’s POV will be lighter. 
> 
> I hope it was not anti-climatic! Pt II coming soon.


	7. The Meeting Pt. II

Nightwing really should be an expert on pissed-off Tamaraneans by now.

Starfire had tried to blow him to smithereens the day they met, so it stands to reason that her children would try to do the same. They looked like a pair of feral cats-- all hissing and spitting. Little angry glow sticks, intent on destroying him.

He was quick to dodge their attack, narrowly avoiding a barrage of starbolts and eye beams. Scorch marks the size of bowling balls blackened the concrete, smoldering. A wall of smoke separated them. He could already hear the alarmed voices of nearby civilians, all wondering what the hell had just happened. 

Grayson groaned. The whole shebang had gone a lot smoother in his head. He performed a whole musical number and everything, pulled out some of his classic clubs moves, and even made that abomination of a pizza. Seriously, it physically pained him to put mint frosting on a perfectly good pizza.

Not the most action-packed plan, but he preferred to go the route that did not involve him fighting his space children. 

But it had all gone up in flames. Literally.

“Okay, that was totally my bad,” Nightwing spoke up, his voice possessing the kind of disregard that did not belong to someone who was almost obliterated. His head ducked in time to avoid a pink energy blast aimed at his face. He grimaced when he picked up the distant sound of glass breaking. Excellent, more destruction. “Haha, nice shot! Now, if we could just calm-”

“You will leave us be, Earthling!” the boy growled murderously. He protectively floated in front of his sister, shielding her from view. His hand was charged with a menacing blue light. 

“Whoa, easy there. I don’t want to hurt you,” Nightwing backed up. He held out his hands in surrender, his blue finger stripes illuminated by the light. “My name is Nightwing. I just want to talk.”

“Talk?” the boy echoed, confusion lacing his words. A frown marred his features, his eyebrows drew down. “Why? We do not have the business with you!”

“Well, I heard that you two were looking for Killer Moth, right?” There was no point in beating around the bush. The situation needed to be deescalated, and he was not in the market to get blown up today. 

The boy's face twisted into a scowl, which Nightwing found quite adorable. The resemblance between them was striking. The floppy black hair, the angularity of his nose, the curvature of his jaw. A little Dick Grayson mini-me, topped with laser-hands. 

“Yes, we witnessed your ruse. You sing like a dying glumpork!” the boy’s grumpy voice interrupted his musings. 

Nightwing grinned, lifting his shoulders up. “I’ll take that as a compliment-” 

“It is not!” 

Memories bombarded their way into Grayson’s mind. He remembered having a very similar conversation years ago when a certain someone first crash-landed on Earth. Fiery red hair. Glowing green eyes. A mind-blowing first kiss. 

_ Get a hold of yourself, Grayson _ , he mentally scolded.  _ This not the time nor the place.  _

"Anyway," he cleared his throat, unruffled, "I just so happen to know where the guy is. I'd be more than happy to share that information with you."

A mop of black hair peeked over the boy’s shoulder, followed by a pair of blinking pink eyes. Unlike her brother's, hers lacked the same hostility; instead, they swirled with unbidden curiosity. "You will?" she asked. She made to float closer but was stopped by the boy’s arm. Frowning, he whispered something lowly to her, but she swatted him away. 

Grayson beamed, "Yeah, sure!" 

She narrowed her eyes and considered him. “This is most suspicious. Why would you aid us?” 

“Call it Earthen hospitality,” he answered with a shrug. She raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. “Okay, fine. I’m nosy. Perhaps I’m just interested in finding out why Starfire’s children would be looking for someone like Killer Moth.”

Grayson awaited their reactions with a bated breath. He had no idea how they would react to him mentioning Starfire. Would that just piss them off? Or would it secure their trust quicker? So far, he had opted to be as direct as possible, while still being selective with his information. 

“Nosy?” The girl’s button nose crinkled as she tilted her head to examine him. “I do not understand. Your nose is proportional to your face.” 

“Oh, um, well-"

Thankfully, her brother did not seem to have the same question. “What is a Starfire?” 

Nightwing was lost for a moment before he mentally slapped himself. Duh, they must not know their mother's English name. “Oh, sorry," he apologized awkwardly, "I meant Koriand’r. She went by Starfire on Earth.”

It was like he flipped some kind of switch. In an instant, the unnatural glow in their eyes dissipated into emerald green depths. Their eyebrows shot to their foreheads and mouths dropped. Rigidity seeped from their little bodies, replaced with an animated buzz. They were no longer in angry-warrior-glow-stick mode; now, they were in happy-glow-stick mode. 

The girl clasped her hands together. “You know Mama? Truly?” He felt his heart stutter in his chest when he saw the excited twinkle in her eyes. In his thirty years, Grayson had seen many wonderful things, but in that very moment, none of them even came close to this little girl. 

Nightwing bobbed his head up and down. “Yes, she and I were-” he snapped his mouth shut. He shifted uncomfortably, feeling the weight of their gazes. “She and I were good friends. We used to be in the Teen Titans together.”

“Teen... Titans?” the boy tested, his face scrunching up. 

Grayson nodded. “Your mom never told you about them?”

The girl shook her head. “Mama never talks about her time on Earth.”  Nightwing resisted the urge to pry further instead, opting to mentally file that away. 

“She was on this...Teen Titans?” the boy inquired. 

A boyish grin blossomed on his face. "On it? She’s what brought us all together!” 

“She did?”

Nightwing knew by the look on their faces that he had successfully captured their attention. All the aggression in them had seemingly evaporated at the very mention of Starfire, and their eyes were swirling with devotion and love. Jealousy and all of its green glory crept its way inside of his mind, manifesting itself into the ever-growing pool of resentment that was building for Starfire. For now, he swallowed it all down and focused on the thrill of just being close to them. 

“Yeah! I remember the day she first came to Earth. One big, green streak in the sky. She had just escaped from a Gordanian ship, and boy, she was pretty angry, nearly destroyed the whole city! She even tried to blow me up-- just like you guys!”

That earned him some giggles. The very sound made him burst with pride, a dizzying giddy feeling overcoming him. Even if they were laughing at the prospect of destroying him, it still felt like an achievement.

“Thankfully, it didn’t take us very long to become friends, and we ended up kicking some Gordanian butt," he recounted fondly. His smile became strained. Sure, things were not always rainbows and unicorns-- especially at the end, but he could not deny the sentiment that pulsed through him. "Then everything just kind of fell into place from there. Together, we formed a team called the Teen Titans with our friends Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy. We traveled all around the planet, fought bad guys, saved the world a few times."

The girl was in awe, bouncing up and down in the air. “Oh, that sounds-- that sounds-- oh, I cannot think of the word in this tongue-- oh, that sounds...”

“Glorious?” he finished with a smile. 

She snapped her fingers and dazzled, “Yes! That is the word! Glorious!”

Her brother’s nose crinkled, deep in his mental calculations. He met his gaze. "Are you the superhero?”

Nightwing hesitated but ultimately nodded, "Yes, I am."

The twins whipped their heads, eyes searching for each other. They exchanged some words he could not understand in rapid fire before the boy sharply returned to him, "WingMan, please do the excusing of us!" 

Surprised, Grayson said lamely, "Um, okay, sure." 

Instantly, the twins exploded into an animated conversation with each other. He chuckled quietly as he watched them gesticulate wildly, faces vivid with emotion. They talked so fast that he was sure even a Tamaranean would have struggled to understand them. He was completely fixated on them, intent on memorizing all of their little nuances. 

* * *

“Do you think we can trust him, Jaki?” Mar’i asked, brows drawn worriedly. “Is he really a friend of Mama’s?” 

“I don’t know,” Jakand’r answered honestly. “He could be lying.”

“Hmm, you’re right.” She turned back to their mysterious singer. There was something...odd about this Earthling. Something about him felt eerily familiar, and she could not figure out why. Maybe it was the black hair. Such a color was unusual on Tamaran. “I think we should trust him.”

“Why do you say that, Mar’i?” he inquired, taken aback. What was with her? First, she stole the Hotdog Man’s money pouch, and now, she was trusting this stranger! Jakand’r was the fun twin, and she was the always-nagging one. They could not switch brands now-- after eight years!

“I don’t know,” she answered with a shrug. “There’s something about him that makes me want to trust him. Call it instinct.”

“That’s not very reassuring,” he deadpanned with a frown. “This guy could be a crazy killer or something! What if he tries to eat us?”

“I don’t think so. He knew who Mama was,” she pointed out. “Besides, it’s not like we have many options, Jaki. Mama's birthday is in three days.”

“Mama is the most beautiful woman that has ever lived, Mar’i. Of course, he knows who she is. Everyone probably does." It was irritating for Jakand'r to be the wary one, but the man practically appeared out of nowhere! It was far too convenient that a superhero would just happen to show up when they needed one!

Mar’i lifted her nose and shot him a defiant look. “I’m making an executive older twin decision. I say we trust him.” 

“That’s not fair!" he cried, his hands cutting through the air angrily. "You’re just thirteen minutes older than me! It’s not my fault that I hatched last.”

“Well, since I’m- wait,” she paused, reeling back, “did you just say hatched?”

Jakand’r looked nonplussed. “Yeah, Mar’i,” he snorted, acting as if she had said something stupid. “You hatched thirteen minutes before me.” 

“You think we were hatched? Like from an egg?”

He rolled his eyes and scoffed, “Um, yeah, what other kind of hatched is there?” 

Mar'i narrowed her eyes and snapped, “We were not hatched! We were birthed, you porfarg! Birthed!”

“Oh yeah? How do you know?”

“Because I read! Unlike you! And Master Pi'nett told me!"

Jakand’r flushed, matching her glare. “Well, if you’re so smart, how does birth work?”

Their masked onlooker might as well have been nonexistent at that point. Taking a deep breath, Mar'i launched into a rather detailed lecture about childbirth, making sure to be extra explicit on the gory parts she knew would make him squirm. Towards the end of it, Jakand'r's smug face had transformed into one of pure terror and disgust. 

“S-stop! Just stop!” he spluttered. He clenched his eyes shut and tried to expel the graphic images from his mind. "T-that just can't be true!"

Mar'i smirked mischievously, relishing in her triumph. He was always looking to get a rise out of her, so this felt like some well-deserved payback. “Oh, but it is, Prince Egg.”

“I owe Mama the biggest apology,” he mumbled, head shaking in denial. 

Mar'i was prepared to retort, but the crisp sound of laughter traveled in the air, pulling them from their discussion. They whipped around and found the Earthling failing to stifle his giggling. Shoulders shaking, the man sported a toothy grin. 

_ "Why do you do the laughing at us, Earthling?" _ Jakand'r's eyes narrowed dangerously. If the human had heard their conversation about childbirth, he would surely die of embarrassment! 

_ "Sorry, I wasn't making fun of you," _ he apologized quickly.  _ "It's just you two are really cute, that's all. I can't tell you how happy I am to have met you." _

Mar'i gave him a strange look. His countenance was friendly but unnervingly neutral. The opaque material covering his eyes did well to conceal his emotions, but she was sure there was a certain softness in his voice. 

"You see? This human has lost his mind!" Jakand'r whispered harshly to her. She scowled and elbowed him in the ribs. 

Nightwing coughed and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly .  _ "Uh, yeah, sorry. So, I'm assuming you guys still want my help?" _

Mar'i avoided her brother's uneasy gaze.  _ "Yes, NightMan. We shall accept your assistance in finding the Man of Killer Moths." _

_ "Awesome!" _ he exclaimed enthusiastically with a big smile. 

_ "What are you hoping to gain by aiding us, Earthling?" _ Jakand'r questioned, not bothering to hide his obvious suspicion. "Tell me, do you seek the currency as payment?"

Nightwing shook his head firmly.  _ "No, I don't want any money. All I want is to help,"  _ he reassured.  _ "Actually, I would like something." _

_ "-I knew it!" _

_ "I would like to know your names."  _

Jakand'r halted, confused again.  _ “Our names?” _

_ “Yeah, I told you my name. You two still haven’t told me yours yet."  _

The twins remained silent. Their panicked, hesitant looks were telling. They were still unsure if they could truly trust this man, despite all of his claims about knowing their mother. 

_ “You do have names, don’t you?” _ Nightwing teased lightly, sensing their apprehension. 

_ “Of course, we have names, Earthling!"  _ Mar’i shot back with a frown. After a moment, she exhaled and relented.  _ "I am Crown Princess Mar’iand’r of Tamaran. Daughter of Empress Koriand’r. Sister of Prince Jakand’r. Lady of House of Tamarus. Divine Heir of X’hal. Patroness of the Arts and Sciences. Protector of the Nine Great Canyons.”  _

Before Nightwing could even process what she said, Jakand'r had already begun to vomit his name.  _ “I am Prince Jakand’r of Tamaran, first of my name. Son of Empress Koriand’r. Brother of Crown Princess Mariand’r. Lord of House And’r. Commander of Her Majesty’s Armada. Defender of the Gun’xil and the X’hallic faith. Minister of War and Commerce.” _

Nightwing only looked at them with stunned silence before clasping his hands together.  _ “Alright!” _ he said with a definitive pop of his lips. He forced a smile.  _ “Those are wonderful names! I love them, really I do, but do you have anything shorter? Maybe a little less...royal?” _

Mar’i pursed her lips. “ _ Mama and Jaki called me Mar’i,” _ she supplied. 

The Earthling male had a peculiar response to her name. For a split second, his pleasant, confident demeanor dropped, and he appeared genuinely shocked.  _ “Mar’i? Your mom named you Mar’i?” _ he gulped, saying her name with a caress. 

_ “Yes,” _ she frowned, suddenly feeling insecure.  _ “What is wrong with my name?” _

_ “Nothing at all!” _ he corrected quickly.  _ “It’s a beautiful name, absolutely perfect. I’m- um-” _ he coughed uncomfortably,  _ “I’m very happy your name is Mar’i. _

_ “...Thank you? I am happy that my name is Mar’i as well.” _ Humans were a strange lot. 

He smiled at her before turning to Jakand’r.  _ “And you must be Jaki?” _

The boy puffed up his chest and bared his teeth.  _ “Only Mama and Mar’i are allowed to call me that!” _

_ “Alright, alright, I won’t call you Jaki!” _ Nightwing amended.  _ “But Jakand’r is a bit of a mouth full. How about I call you...Jake? Oh, I like that name! How do you feel about that?” _

_ “Jake? It is most hideous!” _

Nightwing ignored him; instead, he beamed brightly.  _ “So, it’s decided! Jake and Mar’i, it’s very nice to meet you!”  _ With that, he extended his right arm and held out his hand to them. The two floating space children backed away and eyed it, dubious. 

_ “What are you doing?” _ Mar’i asked curiously. 

Jakand’r glared. “ _ Is this the trick?” _

_ “No, not a trick. A greeting. This is just one way us Earthlings say hello.” _

_ “It is most strange,” _ Mar’i observed, biting her lip.  _ “I place my hand on yours?” _

_ “Yep!” _

Cautiously, the young Tamaranean princess placed her hand in his. Her fingers lightly grazed the blue stripes on his palm. She marveled at how small it was compared to his; it was not even half its size. 

“Well, I’m not doing it,” Jakand’r grumbled in Tamaranean, arms crossed defiantly. 

She smiled sweetly at him, “Jaki, if you don’t take his stupid hand, so help me X’hal, I will recite all 6,000 verses of the Poem of Patience every single day...until you die.”

He glowered at her, “You’re bluffing.”

“You know, I’m not.”'

Huffing, the newly-nicknamed Jake joined his sister’s hand on Nightwing’s. He ignored his sister's smug smirk and the Earthling's excited smile. _For Mama,_ he reminded himself.

And they shook hands. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm bad at scrapping and rewriting my chapters, but this one... whew... so many times. A lot of self-doubt. But that was until I watched a dramatic reading of My Immortal on Youtube and thought, "Well, nothing I write could be that bad so..." and I was instilled the confidence needed to finish this.
> 
> When it's in the twin's POV, there is a big chance English is going to written in Italics. I know it's kind of confusing because it does not do that in the first part with Nightwing's POV. I just figured that logically, the twins would be speaking Tamaranean with each other, and I wanna keep that distinction.
> 
> Gosh, I just have so much nonsensical Jaki and Mar'i content. I am considering perhaps posting a drabble collection of all of them, or just doing it on my tumblr page. Lemme know if that's something you'd guys would be interested in!
> 
> Also peep those very subtle GoT references! 
> 
> Last note (sorry for the length of this lol), I wanna say thank you for all the kind comments/kudos! It's been a lot of fun reading them and responding!


	8. A Moortakian Morning

It was a beautiful, sunny morning in Moortak. Negotiations with Moortakian officials had gone swimmingly; her education reform had been well-received by her council, and she had flown a few feet! Granted, she could not soar, and there were some not-so-graceful movements, but it was progress. 

At last, the cloudiness in Starfire’s heart seemed to dissipate. The ache of Silkie’s death was still there, and she supposed it would always be. Ultimately, time proved to be the best medicine for grief. She did not miss him any less, but she was reconciling with his absence. She was healing.   
  


She would have to thank Raven for her counsel last week. The empath seemed to always know what to say to make her feel better; perhaps it was her no-nonsense way of speaking or the depth of her emotional intelligence. Most likely both. 

  
Starfire could not help but feel guilty. Usually, when she and Raven spoke, they exchanged updates on each other’s life, chatting merrily like they were not dimensions apart. She loved hearing about her and Beast Boy’s marital adventures in Azarath, laughed at the funny in-betweens. And Starfire would share her stories of Mar’i and Jaki, regaling her friend in their latest shenanigans, and Raven would chuckle and offer up a small smile. This time, all Starfire did was sob uncontrollably.   
  


She sighed, settling herself into the lounge chair. Her red tresses haloed around her as her skin glistened in the sunlight. 

She rather enjoyed her estate in Moortak. It was grand, but it possessed an unexplainable tranquility, something the Royal Palace lacked no matter her renovations. Perhaps she should come back with Mar’i and Jaki; there were plenty of caves for them to explore, and the Moortakian architecture was magnificent. Spending time away from the Capitol would do them all some good.

She decided that she would ask them about it when they called. She frowned slightly as a thought occurred to her and looked at the time on her holopad. They should have called by now; she had given explicit orders that they were to call her three times a day while she was away. Once in the morning, once in the afternoon, once in the evening. 

“How odd,” she murmured, a slight furrow of her brow. She moved to summon a servant but was stopped by the knocking on the door. She let out a relieved sigh, figuring it was a call from Tamarus.

She sat up, regal. The circlet upon her head glistened as she held up chin. “Enter,” she called out. 

To her surprise, it was not a servant coming through the door; it was General Phy’zzon. Starfire deflated slightly, unable to hide her disappointment. She felt the tension in the room immediately, and she resisted the urge to shift away from his gaze. Just the night before, he had confessed his love for her and asked for her hand. 

Starfire cared for him, yet her feelings never left the confines of friendship. Every time she would entertain the prospect of more, a pair of blue eyes would creep its way into her mind, effectively stunting her. 

She politely refused him. There was a pang of guilt in her chest when she saw the heartbroken look on his face. She was afraid the would argue with her, say spiteful things, but in the end, he held his tongue, nodded, and left the room without a word.

“General Phy’zzon,” she said, uncomfortably. “Forgive me, I was not expecting you-”

“Your Majesty, I have urgent news from Tamarus,” he cut her off. She was taken aback by the seriousness of his tone, and it was then that she noticed the stricken look on his face. A sinister coldness overcame her as she waited with a bated breath. “The Prince and Princess have vanished.”

Starfire blinked. “What?” 

Phy’zzon took in a steady breath. “The servants found them missing from their beds. The entire palace has been searched, but they could find no trace of them.”

It felt like she had been punched in the gut. She struggled to breathe. Was she hyperventilating? “That is not possible. People do not just vanish, Phy’zzon!”

“Your Majesty-”

Her body began to shake violently, a surge of adrenaline she had never felt the likes of before overtook her. She stood up, angry tears falling from her eyes. “How does an entire palace lose two children?” She started pacing, the urge to move too great. 

“Empress, please, you must calm yourself. Now, I have ordered a city-wide search and suspended all-”

She whirled her head around. Flames spewed from her eyes. “Do not _fucking_ tell me to calm down!”

In a moment of blind rage, Starfire unleashed her fury onto the General. A perfectly aimed starbolt sent him flying backwards, colliding painfully into the doors he entered. His body slammed against the ground with a disturbing thud and skidded across the corridor. Servants and guards alike stared in horror at his smoldering body.

Starfire should have felt guilt for her outburst. She hated resorting to violence. 

  
However, all she could feel was anguish, a feeling she was quite accustomed to. The death of her parents, the betrayal of Blackfire, the disappearance of her brother, Silkie... She was not unfamiliar with pain. 

This was something new. It was like every fibre of her being was on high alert, distraught. 

_My babies,_ the fire inside cried. Images of her helpless children chained and beaten flashed through her head without mercy. _Someone took my babies!_

She floated over the unconscious body of General Phy’zzon, sparing him neither thought or glance. She needed to get to Tamarus; she needed to find them. To make sure they were safe.   
  


The idea of being without them was unbearable. She would waste away into nothing. They were everything— her heart, her soul, her reason for living.   
  


Starfire did not remember making her way to the terrace or the frightened look of onlookers.   
  
  
She turned to the sky, her scarlet hair now on fire, eyes searing. And she soared. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't lie to you. This chapter is a mess, but it was only a matter of time before Starfire discovered the twins gone. I had other plans for this chapter, but tbh, I thought this was the best route to go. 
> 
> Thank you for all the comments and kudos! I’m so happy you guys are enjoying the story. I know I love writing it. Hope you have a wonderful day and are staying safe!


	9. Pancakes & The Boy

The infernal handshake took years to complete, or at least, that is what it felt like to Jake. Starfire had done away with many royal protocols when she ascended the throne, but it was still expressly forbidden for outsiders to touch members of the Royal Family. She nearly destroyed the West Wing of the Imperial Palace when one of his tutors popped him for being disobedient. 

Snapping his hand away from Nightwing’s, he put on his Prince of Tamaran face-- the one his mama thought was crushingly adorable and his sister thought crushingly dumb. _“We have given you our names and have done the shaking of hands, Earthling. Now, you must tell us where the Killer Moth is.”_

Mar’i shot him an impatient look, but he ignored her. Nightwing seemed unfazed and gave her hand a gentle squeeze before releasing it. _“You’re absolutely right, Jake,”_ he agreed, feigning seriousness. The boy sizzled at the use of the idiotic nickname. _“But well, we kind of have a problem.”_

Mar’i gave him a worried look. _“What do you mean, Mr. Nightman?”_

He cleared his throat before launching, “ _You see, here on Earth, we have this very, very important custom. We are required-- by the laws of our most high-ranking Earthen officials-- to exchange information over a hot plate of pancakes.”_

Jake frowned, brows etching together in bewilderment. _“What kind of custom is that?”_

_“Oh, the most sacred one, I’m afraid. Goes back centuries._ ”

Mar'i’s nose crinkled. _“Pancakes? You desire the dessert in a pan?”_

Nightwing let out a good-natured laugh, causing her to flush indignantly. _“Sort of. Pancakes are a popular breakfast food. They’re flat, circular, and extremely delicious.”_

_“And holy?_ ” Jake inquired. Earthlings appeared to have a very complicated relationship with their food. “ _You must hold them in high regard.”_

Nightwing nodded. _“They’re quite special. I remember your mother being quite fond of them actually.”_

Mar'i’s eyes rounded, body jittering with newfound excitement. _“Oh, Mama enjoyed these cakes in the pan?”_

_“Yeah! I used to make them for her all the time.”_

_“You exchanged the important information with Mama frequently?”_ Jake asked pointedly, an eyebrow raised. There was something suspicious about this Earthling-- something his sister and her infinite naivety failed to see. Thankfully, he was a master tactician, and he was above such trickery. 

An infuriating smile played on Nightwing’s lips. _“They’re so delicious; we made exceptions.”_

Mar’i whipped her head to Jake, eyes so severe he was taken aback. “Jaki, I must know what these pan of cakes taste like.”

Jake could not stop the roll of his eyes. “Is this not the least bit odd to you? Earthlings are weird, but this is just crazy.”

She shot him a glare and raised her nose. “Have you learned nothing from your diplomacy lessons? Different planet, different culture! Besides,” she said lowly, eyes flickering over to Nightwing, “what else are Earthlings supposed to do? They can’t fly.”

“Woman, must I remind you that we’re on a strict time limit? We’re on a mission to regain Mama’s happiness, not indulge in weird Earthen rituals with strange men in tight suits.”

“Yeah, yeah, Jaki, I know,” Mar’i pouted. “But it looks like we don’t have any other choice, do we? The sooner we complete the rituals of cakepans, the sooner we get a new Silkie. Besides, you love eating. That’s what you’re best at.”

They had an intense stare down, once again locked in a bitter battle over trusting Nightwing. He supposed, much to his chagrin, that she was right. One of his favorite literary figures was a woman named Kot’igar, and she was a mighty warrior, who did outlandish deeds in order to save her husband. Perhaps that is what heroism took: doing things that made one uncomfortable. 

“Fine,” he relented with a groan, “but only because I’m hungry, and you need to be charged up.”

She soured and crossed her arms. “Is that all I am to you? Some kind of invisibility tool?”

Jake considered for an offending moment. Then, he moved his hand to pat her shoulder and met her scorching gaze. “Yes.”

He ignored his sister’s insulted noises and turned back to Nightwing, a pleased smile on his face. _“Very well, Earthling. We shall do the eating of the pancakes with you.”_

The masked-man appeared overjoyed and did an odd fist pump into the air. _“Awesome!”_

_“But then you will tell us the location of the Killer Moth!”_ Jake added quickly. 

_“Of course!”_ Nightwing chirped, a slight bounce in his step now. 

_“Was the food you were trying to lure us out with not the pancake?”_ Mar’i asked, nodding towards the now smoldering remains of the pizza. In the midst of their starbolt frenzy, she had made sure to blast his belongings in the event they were a bomb. Now, red and orange stuff covered the ground and walls. 

She was a little worried that he would be upset about that, but he seemed to be relieved. “ _Oh, yeah, that… That wasn’t a pancake.”_

Mar’i frowned. _“And you are not grieving over the loss of your food?”_

He chuckled and gave her a reassuring smile. _“Nope. If anything, I should be thanking you.”_

“Ah,” she hummed thoughtfully, lips pursed. _“You are most welcome, then.”_

Jake's eyes narrowed into slits. He was not a fan of how friendly this human was, especially to his sister. It was like Nightwing could sense she was the mentally weaker one, and although she plagued him with her constant nagging, loud snoring, and insufferable rationalizations, Mar'i was his twin sister. The one who traveled across the galaxy with him, and the one who checked for the occasional monster underneath his bed. He would be a _heta'garf_ to let this ugly Earthling take advantage of her.

_"Enough distractions!"_ he snapped, stomping his foot. _"I tire of the fraternization. Make us these sacred pancakes, Earthling!"_

_"I could make them,"_ Nightwing trailed, nonchalant. A mischievous grin perked up on his lips. _"But then I'd be robbing you of the chance of having Smarty D's hotcakes."_

Jake nearly exploded, hands thrown up in the air. " _Stop saying words I do not understand!”_

He chuckled, _"Oh, yeah, sorry about that, Jake."_

_"-that is not my name!"_

_"-anyway, Smarty D's is a little diner- uh- I mean restaurant,"_ he paused briefly to wink at Jake, _"where they serve some of the best pancakes in New York. It's pretty popular with tourists, and well, since you two are tourists yourselves, I thought it'd be the perfect place."_

_"Will we be welcome at such an establishment?"_ Mar'i asked, worried. Biting her lip, she looked pointedly at her and her brother's very un-Earthen clothes. _“Your Earthen officials will not object?”_

_"Oh, I think you're gonna be fine,"_ he answered with a shrug, _"as long as you don't go blowing anything up. Speaking of which..."_

He surveyed the smoldering remains of the roof. " _We should probably leave. Your little light show was pretty loud."_ In the distance, the blaring sound of sirens echoed through the streets, followed by flashes of red and blue. He grimaced. _"Yeah, we should definitely leave."_

_"But-"_

Nightwing gave her no time to finish her sentence. He dashed across the roof, feet pounding against the ashen concrete ground, and crossed the chasm between the buildings. He landed on the other side effortlessly; gravity be damned. _"Follow me!"_ he shouted, using his hands to amplify his voice. _"Smarty D's just around the block!"_

Mar’i watched the Earthling bound across another roof, enchanted by the way his body maneuvered in the air. If she did not know any better, she could think he was capable of flight. A pulsating, blue hue broke her marvel, and she noticed her brother aiming a starbolt at the twirling human. "Jaki!" she admonished. 

He did not even spare her a glance. "What? One shot and the stupid human is gone." 

"Oh, come on!" she growled, grabbing his arm and propelling them in the sky. 

* * *

It did not take them very long to catch up with Nightwing. His black suit and its vibrant blue ‘v’ stood out, making it very easy to tail him from a distance. Mar’i held her brother’s hand tight, practically dragging him. She ignored his grumblings and instead focused intently on the Earthling ahead of her. 

Something in her peripheral made her stop.

A blur--probably nothing--but a blur of yellow and red; it came from one of the alleys they flew over. It moved so quickly; she thought she had imagined it. 

"What is it, Mar'i?" Jake inquired, brows furrowed. 

"I thought," she halted, eyes squinting, "I thought I saw something."

Jake frowned and followed her gaze. "What do you mean?" 

"I don't know. It came from one of those alleys.”

"It was probably not-ah!"

Jake let out a terrified screech when he felt something coil painfully across his ankle. His body jerked violently downwards, his hand tearing from his sister’s. His flight had completely vanished, and he was left to the mercy of this mysterious force hauling straight into the earth. His vision blurred and wind drummed into his ears. 

_Crack!_

The pile of garbage he landed on provided him very little cushion. His body slammed against cardboard and trash bags. The impact alone caused his lungs to burn viciously in his chest; a shockwave of pain rippled throughout him. His limbs ached; his right ankle throbbed. He was sure he was broken; even his Tamaranean body could not come out unharmed from such a crash. 

"Jaki!" his sister’s scream pierced his ears, but it all sounded muffled. Everything was a swirl of hurt and confusion.

"Mar'i,” he choked out pitifully. He felt something trickle down the side of his face; it was warm and wet. Was that his blood? 

_"Tt. That was far too easy. Pathetic."_

Startled, Jake wrenched his eyes open. 

It was a boy, not much older than him. A masked boy dressed in a ridiculous assortment of colors: red, yellow, and green. A boy brandishing a blade half his size. A boy holding the grappling hook that took him down. 

The boy scowled, as if the very sight of Jake disgusted him. _“I expected better from Grayson’s spawn. Truly, I’m disappointed. Let’s hope Kent has a more exciting time with the girl.”_

_Mar’i._

Rage. A Tamaranean’s most reliable friend. It was all-encompassing, all-consuming. 

The pain in his body vanished, replaced by the nuclear fusions of his anger. Cobalt flames leaked from his eyes and fingertips, illuminating the blackness of the alleyway. He rose, incinerating the trash around him in the process. 

_“I do not know who you are, Earthling filth,”_ he snarled. _“But if you have done anything to my sister, I will unleash every agony, every violation imaginable upon you. I will parade your burnt corpse from every corner, from every planet!”_

His threat was met with a wicked smirk. _“Inconsequential threats from a bastard.”_

_“Not a threat,”_ Jake seethed, a crackling starbolt in hand, _“a promise.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I totally stole Jake's threat from the new God of War game. I absolutely could not resist. Fun fact, Jake is actually modeled after Atreus, and Mar'i is modeled after Jinora. 
> 
> I hope you are all doing well and staying safe! Thank you for the continued reviews and kudos-- much appreciated!


	10. What I Learned from Mama pt I

Mar'i's eyes widened the size of saucers, the phantom feel of her brother's hand still present. She paled when she heard the crash; the sound brought a sickening chill down her spine. A scream tore from her throat, "Jaki!"

Her hands went to her face. "Oh X'hal, oh X'hal, oh X'hal!" she freaked out, manically pace-floating circles. Not wasting another second, she ripped herself out of her stupor and darted after her brother, a ribbon of pink trailing behind her.

Mar'i was so consumed with panic that she did not notice the blue mass barreling towards her. It was then that a voice cried, " _Look out!_ " did the she move her head an inch in its direction. But it was too late. 

_Smack!_

The collision had been calamitous. Her body flung through the air, the world around her obscured and discombobulated. Her flight had abandoned her, leaving her to the mercy of gravity.

The Princess clenched her eyes shut, preparing herself for the inevitable impact of the ground, the very same fate of her brother. She was surprised to feel something-- or someone-- wrap themselves around her, protective. Similar to how Starfire would catch her when she had first started flying.

Still, despite their efforts, this had only marginally slowed her down. Mar'i and the mystery person smacked onto a nearby roof, skidding across the coarse, concrete surface. Thankfully, her Tamaranean armor protected her from any scrapes or cuts, but the repeated slamming of her body on the ground had left her with a few bruises.

It could have been worse, however. The stranger had acted as a sort of cushion to her fall, taking the brunt of the damage.

Speaking of which…

Mar'i snapped her eyes open and noticed arms clothed in blue around her. She was lying on someone! Alarmed, she flopped out their hold and shot straight up. Her eyes narrowed into their signature glowing pink slits, and she barred her canines. 

"How dare you!" she hissed.

Her hostility was replaced with shock when she spotted the culprit. She had expected some kind of Earthen soldier, someone menacing. Not a boy! A boy who looked to be not much older than her!

He laid sprawled on the ground, sporting a pained grimace on his face. His hair, the same inky black as hers, lay in disarray, and a crimson cape fanned around him. Mar' i figured he must like red and blue a lot, considering those were the colors his outfit mostly consisted of. She frowned as she continued to analyze his form; she stopped at the curious symbol on his chest, a wavy sort of thing.

It was like the blue lines on Nightwing's suit, but this one felt familiar somehow, almost as if she had seen it before.

Her study had been cut short when she heard him groan. She snapped back into action, charged and ready to attack. He struggled to get up, one arm supporting him while the other rubbed the back of his head. It was only when he noticed the pulsating pink of energy did he scramble up.

His eyes, an alarming shade of blue, shined with regret. _"Oh my goodness, I'm so, so sorry! I'm really not good at flying yet!"_

Mar'i was taken aback by his admission; she looked down to his feet and noticed that he was, in fact, floating a foot off the ground . That was not right. Humans could not fly! 

_"Oh, whoa, is that heat vision?"_ He leaned in closer, eyes shimmering with amazement. _"That's so cool!"_

Her eyes narrowed, and a loud rumble erupted from her throat, a warning growl for him to keep his distance. "Have you lost your mind?" she snarled in her mother tongue. "What in X'hal's name is wrong with you? You don't just go knocking people out of the sky like that!"

_"Uh,"_ the boy gulped. _"I don't know what you're saying, but I take it you're angry."_

_"I am the most angry with you!_ " she snapped, switching to English. She allowed her starbolts to dissipate-- for now--but her hands remained firmly clenched. _"Do you not know that it is the impolite to ram someone out of the sky!"_

He held up his hands in defense. " _I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, honest. I think I just got too excited, that's all."_

_"Excited?"_

_"Um,"_ he trailed, a slight blush on his cheeks. _"You see, I don't get to meet too many aliens. The ones I do meet...not very cool."_

_"Why do you keep saying that?"_ she asked, puzzled. She placed a hand on her forehead, ensuring that she was at the correct temperature. " _I can assure you I am most warm."_

He flushed. _"Oh, um, cool is a word we use to describe something that's awesome."_

She blinked a couple of times. _"You think I am awesome?"_

He seemed to choke up a bit. He averted his gaze from hers, cheeks matching the color of his cape. He lifted his shoulders up. _"Uh, yeah."_

Mar' i's face twisted in confusion, her brows drawing together in thought. Awesome meant excellent, inspiring great admiration or fear. But how did that relate to being of colder temperature? Frowning, she decided that humans enjoyed abusing their language.

The boy mistook her silence for offense, and he made to clarify his statement. _"W-well, I think it's just there are not a lot of people my age who can glow and fly-"_

Her head perked up, and she narrowed her eyes. _"Yes, you are flying!"_

He looked confused. _"Um, yeah. I guess I am?"_

_"Why are you flying?"_ she demanded, inching closer to examine him. _"Humans are not capable of flight."_

He moved back, an uneasy expression on his face. _"Oh, well, you see-"_

_"Are you Tamaranean?"_

_"Oh no, I'm not-"_

" _Because I was not aware that there was a Tamaranean residing on Earth."_ She glared, causing him to shift uncomfortably. " _Have you reported your habitation to the Department of Foreign Affairs?"_

_"Uh...what?"_

_"Because I do believe that is actually my department, and that is an explicit breach of-"_

Finally, the boy exclaimed, " _I'm not Tamaranean!"_

She set her mouth in a frown, eyebrow raised. _"Then, what are you?"_

_"Ummm... I am me,"_ he tried, a hopeless expression on his face.

_"Obviously,"_ she huffed. _"What are you? You cannot be Earthen."_

_"Oh, right,"_ he chuckled awkwardly. " _Well, my dad is from Krypton, and my mom says we are Scotts-Irish; Swiss from my grandmother, I think. Um, I think we may have some German-"_

She stopped him, holding her hand up, " _Wait, Krypton? You are Kryptonian?"_ Something inside clicked in Mar'i; she learned of Krypton from her studies! The planet hailed from Rao, and its people were quite advanced.

_"Well, technically, I'm half-Kryptonian."_

_"How is that possible?"_ She shook her head. _"I do not understand."_

_"Well, Mom said that she and Dad prayed really hard for a baby-"_

She scrunched her lips. She had already explained childbirth once today, and she did not plan on doing it again. " _Krypton was destroyed,"_ she cut him off.

_"Oh,"_ he looked away, hand on the back of his head, _"that's all kind of a long story._ "

_"Your father must have evacuated Krypton before it was destroyed. He then came to Earth and assimilated."_

He blinked. " _Okay, maybe it's not that long."_

There was a budding elation to meeting a fellow extraterrestrial. Tamaranean court was always full of offworld dignitaries; most came from Vega. Mar'i could not help the sudden flutter of excitement in her stomach; she broke out into a smile, " _This is most glorious! I have never met anyone from the Rao System before!"_

_"Really?"_ he asked, sharing her excitement. 

_"Oh yes, I have always wanted to meet one,"_ she replied, bobbing her up and down. 

Mar'i remembered the Earthen greeting she performed with Nightwing. The handshaking. Slowly, the Princess stretched out her hand, awkward. She was sure she had not done it correctly, considering the befuddled look on his face. Embarrassed, she made to pull it back, but she was stopped when she felt his hand encircle hers. 

Surprised, she looked up and met his gaze. He had a goofy grin on his face, one that said he was overjoyed, and she decided then that he was not ugly.

Suddenly, she frowned and looked down at their entwined hands. Something buzzed between them, a familiar sensation she felt when she touched her mother and brother. It tickled, it was as if their hands were vibrating.

Her jaw dropped when she realized what it was. She was attuned to his energy! This boy must be able to absorb electromagnetic energy like her! 

His eyes were wide, mouth in a comical 'o' shape. He must have felt it, too. _"Oh, wow, this is- this is just-whoa!"_

She smiled. _"Cool?"_

He sparkled, _"Yeah, it's very cool."_

Mar'i had so many questions to ask, but before she could even open her mouth, a loud bang sounded off behind her.

She whirled around, spotting streams of blue light blast off in the alley her brother fell.

It was like Mar'i had been doused in ice water. Her heart plummeted in her chest as she recalled the rather violent way she and her brother had been separated. She cursed her idiocy! How could she get distracted so easily! Her brother was probably hurt or worse, and she was floating around making friends!

_"Jaki!"_ she cried out, horrified. She made to move, but she was stopped by the hand on hers. She whipped back, snarling. "Release me!"

_"Wait, I'm not supposed to let you go! Dami-I mean-Robin said-"_

_"I said release me!"_ she growled, trying to yank her hand away from his grip, but his grip was vice-like. 

_"I can't! If I do, you'll just hurt more people-"_

_"I will do the hurting of you if you do not let me go!"_ She was preparing her eye beams. She did not wish to hurt him, but she was desperate to get to Jake.

But her plan was abandoned when red met pink. His eyes, no longer the pretty color of the sky, now burned crimson; heat swirled around them, warming her face. _"I wouldn't do that if I were you."_

Mar'i panicked. She and the Kryptonian boy were more alike than she thought. _"Please,"_ she tried begging, _"I must help my brother."_

_"Just like you helped that man yesterday? Were you helping Nightwing by trying to blow him up?"_ Gone was the kindness from his voice, now, it was laced with accusations. _"That was not very nice, you know. Grandma always says that you should always treat others the way you wanted to be treated-"_

Mar'i stopped listening to his idiotic rambling, half-terrified that she could not break the boy's grip and half-annoyed he was lecturing her. She was not the one who knocked him out of the sky!

_"You are the mean!"_ she blurted. Unable to contain her anger, she swung her first into the side of his face. She punched exactly how her trainers and mothers taught her to: hard and slightly charged with a starbolt. 

The boy staggered a bit, but he maintained his steely grip on her. She despaired when she saw that he was uninjured, practically unfazed by her assault. For some reason, he seemed more wounded by her words. _"Well, I am not a big fan of you anyway!"_

Her mind scurried for a solution. Gut instinct told her that this boy was stronger than her; she pulled from him with all of her might, and he hardly budged. If she took a chance to blast him, he could retaliate, and considering their proximity, he could easily hit her. She did not know if her starbolts would even injure him! And turning invisible was useless! Where could she go with him holding her like this!

She let out a frustrated yell, furious at herself for being so foolish and weak. There was no time for combat! Jake was in trouble, and she had to find him!

It was when she remembered the push and pull of energy between them an idea popped up in her head. 

Probably stupid, most likely would not work out. But she had to try.

She squeezed her eyes shut, breathing, and remembered what her mother had taught her.

* * *

_Starfire clutched the sides of her daughter, fingers tickling every unprotected inch of her. Mar'i squealed, twisting in her mother's hold. Starfire peppered wet, sloppy kisses all over her face._

_"No more, Mama!" four-year-old Mar'i cried, breathless, grasping at her mother's hands. "No more!"_

_Chuckling, Starfire stopped her tickle assault and contented in watching her sweet baby's face. She savored mornings like these; mornings where she could wake her children with kisses and tickles. They were rare, now. Her duties as Grand Ruler kept her, and she had to surrender these precious mornings to her attendants._

_Her hand lovingly caressed Mar’i's cheeks, smirking when she felt the leftover trails of drool. Her beautiful, lovely baby girl slept so hard. Even as a newborn, Mar'i snored louder than Silkie and drooled puddles._

_Dreamy green eyes blinked up at her, perfect in every single way._

_Starfire leaned in for another kiss but was stopped by two small hands. "No more kisses, Mama!" Mar'i pouted._

_"What?" Starfire cried, surprised. "You will not give Mama anymore kisses?"_

_Mar'i stuck out her bottom lip. "I just gave you kisses, Mama."_

_"But I can't get more, my little bumgorf?" Her baby shook her head. "Can I have just one more?"_

_Mar'i thought for a second and then nodded. "Okay, but no more, Mama. Okay?"_

_Starfire stifled her giggle and gave her a fat kiss. "One more?" she smiled._

_"Mama!" Mar'i complained, but she still nodded, receiving yet another kiss._

_"Do you know why I love kissing you, my love?" asked Starfire, playing with the black ends of her hair._

_"Because you're my Mama, and you like kisses."_

_"Yes, sweetling. You are so smart," she dazzled, a serene look in her eye. "It makes Mama very happy to give you kisses. It means I can give you a little of my energy."_

_"You give me energy?" Mar'i frowned. "In kisses?"_

_Starfire nodded, "Mhm, we are creatures of energy, my dearest. When I kiss you, I am transferring some of my energy to you."_

_"Oh." Mar'i smiled, finally understanding she felt rejuvenated after cuddle sessions with her mother. "I want to give you some of my energy, Mama!"_

_Starfire let out a laugh as her daughter placed butterfly kisses all across her face. "You are lovely, bumgorf, but it's a Mama's job to give her babies energy."_

_"But Mama," Mar'i pouted, "I want you to be healthy and happy."_

_A delighted smile blossomed on Starfire's face, her eyes crinkling at its force. "With you," she sighed, kissing her forehead, "I am always happy."_

* * *

The memory swirled around in Mar'i's head. Her heart ached; she longed for her mother terribly. She would get them out of this mess, probably give them more kisses and cuddles. But it did reinforce one thing, and that was her love for her Mama. It cemented the idea that she would do anything and everything for her happiness.

Renewed with determination, she turned to the boy in blue and red. He was raving on about the importance of kindness and whatnot. She seethed, angry at him for reducing her to such a helpless state. She was a Princess of Tamaran, daughter of Koriand'r and the better half to Jakand'r!

And she bowed to _no one._

Growling, she struck. 

Using her free hand, she grabbed the side of his head and smashed her lips onto his. It was painful, their teeth gnashed together in an uncoordinated mess. But the effect was instantaneous; he let out a muffled shriek and dropped her hand.

But she was far from finished. 

She felt the solar energy coursing through him and beckoned it. it flowed into her being. It was nourishing, completely enriching. The bruises she had acquired from her fall vanished, the ends of her hair lit into pink flames. 

Exhilarating.   
  


Power. It all she could feel, all she knew. 

His hands went to her shoulders, but his strength had been significantly diminished. He could barely manage a tug. 

Finally, she released him. With a flush, she pulled away, overcome by the surge of power in her veins. She looked back at her flying friend.

Dull. His eyes, his skin. Everything about him that burst with life was dull. He looked sickly, his cheeks hollowed, and his eyes sported purple bags underneath.

She held him limply in the air. Perhaps had he not tried to keep her captive, she would feel sorry for him. _"My name is Mar'iand'r of Tamaran,"_ she hissed in Kryptonian, _"remember that name, so you will know better next time."_

She ceremoniously dropped him onto the ground, leaving him just a heap on the ground, and took off in the direction of her brother. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... A bit of a different chapter here. Perhaps a lil controversial. I'm definitely a bit on the fence about this one for sure, but I just had to write this chapter. 
> 
> I JUST WANT TO GET THIS OUT OF THE WAY but I promise you that this wasn't some segway into shipping territory. Poor Jon, but the kiss was really meant as a way to weaken him. Will there be future SuperStar moments...idk! I'm weary of putting any kind of romance for 8 year olds. 
> 
> Here's the thing and maybe I'm going off into ranty territory, BUT I think that Tamaranean powers are massively underplayed! They have the ability to "manipulate and absorb electromagnetic energy", and listen I've taken quite a few physics classes to know how insane that is! That's kind of why I chose invisibility as a power for Mar'i. If she can control solar energy, then reasonably she should be able to manipulate visible light. But I digress, something I really wanna do is expand on their powers and try to find unique, reasonable applications for them. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and you are all safe and well. Thank you for all the kudos and comments; always wonderful reading them.


	11. What I Learned from Mama Pt. II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of warning: chapter contains some heavy violence. Nothing too gory.

Honor.

The dogma of a Tamaranean warrior, according to Grandpa Galfore. It was what separated savagery from gallantry-- barbarism from benevolence. Anyone can pick up a weapon and fight, but a warrior of Tamaran fights with honor.

And Jake believed himself to be an honorable man. When he trained with swords, he refrained from using starbolts and eye beams. It was only right, considering it was (kind of) cheating. No one really expects blue rays of death in a sword fight.

So he had morals. He never attacked a downed enemy and held back on insulting one's mother. Well, the latter was a bit deceptive, considering half the time he sparred with Mar'i, and they had the same mother.

One day, when he was big, he would command Her Majesty's armies, his grandfather told him. He would need to be a man of unadulterated honor: a paradigm of righteousness.

Well, it was a good thing Grandpa Galfore was 26 lightyears away then.

Because when Jake unleashed a blue hellstorm upon the undeveloped-monster-child, honor was the last thing on his mind.

All he felt was a flood of white-hot anger. He did not care that this human could not fly, or possessed a fraction of his strength, or was going through an identity crisis.

It mattered very little! Because this _clorbag_ had dragged him from the sky and threw him into an Earthen waste pile, and then went on to speak riddles to him, accusing him of some imaginary offense.

Of course, these offenses warranted a swift death, but then, he discovered that Mar'i had also been attacked, and that was all the incentive he needed to fly into a flaming ball of blue.

* * *

Long gone was the musty smell of the alleyway, now replaced by the fumes of burnt garbage. The rats had abandoned their nooks and decided to brave the crowded streets of New York, a more preferable fate than being engulfed by a wall of blue fire. Windows trembled with each stroke; the earth sizzled, charred black from the repeated abuse.

Jake had changed his attack strategy early on in the fight. He had lashed out and unleashed a barrage of starbolts and eye beams, but like Nightwing, this human was irritatingly bendy. He was quick on his feet; he whirled and deflected all of them with ease, bouncing off walls, and doing unnecessary flips.

He attenuated the energy in his bolt and watched as the pulsating blue orb in hand morphed into a ball of blue fire.

Fire behaved differently than a starbolt. It was less manageable and tended to engulf the surrounding areas, but it also required less energy to generate. After his fusillade of starbolts, he would need to be weary of his internal energy supply, lest he face the consequences of solar depletion.

Steeling himself, Jake swung several streams of fire at Sword Boy. This time, he could not dodge so easily and was surrounded by flames. His haughty expression dropped, replaced by one of genuine panic.

" _Damn it!_ " he heard the boy hiss. Jake frowned. This was a different Earthen language. He reached for his grappling hook to escape. Snarling at the sight of it, Jake pounced.

Bracing himself, he increased his speed and knocked over the stupid human. His body rolled over the flames and skidded across the alley floor.

Jake groaned when he noticed that the _clorbag's_ attire did not catch fire, meaning it was probably flameproof. This was mildly inconvenient because in his threat, he said he would make Sword Boy a burnt crisp, but now, it was looking like he would have to cook him.

The boy hurled himself up from the ground, an incensed look on his face, and held up his weapon. Blood trickled down his nose. _"_ That was a mistake, spawn," he growled.

Jake remained undeterred and matched his glare. Inhaling, he delivered, "Do you act like the uncivilized ingrate because you must compensate for your lack of a reproductive organ?" He had rehearsed that insult many times in his mirror back home; of course, it was in Tamaranean, not in a language he had learned the day prior. It felt choppy and ten words way too long.

His opponent's face twisted in confusion before setting on a scowl. "You really are a Grayson."

"And you are the Ugly-son!" Jake cried. He spared a moment to give himself a mental pat for coming up with such a superb comeback.

Growling, the boy charged him, swinging his sword without mercy. Jake hardly had time to react. Instinct told him to retreat, but the boy had gotten too close too soon, and the erratic movements of the sword did not provide such an opening or even time to fire a starbolt. For now, he was resigned to ducking and dipping, just barely dodging his attacks.

Finally, metal met metal. In desperate need of reprieve, Jake chanced using his gauntlet to stop the blade mid-swing. The sound of the collision hurt his ears; the contact created sparks.

The Earthling ground his teeth and bore all of his strength onto the blade. Jake did not budge, and to prove he was unaffected, he pressed his arm outward, watching as the human was forced to take a step backward.

It would take more than an Earthen sword to penetrate his armor—a brilliant piece of Tamaranean technology, designed to resist most attacks and to concentrate captured electromagnetic radiation.

This temporary pause provided Jake the opportunity he needed to finish Sword Boy once and for all. Since his leg still ached, Jake was situated a few feet in the air, which gave him a substantial height advantage, and this new proximity put the boy in perfect eye beam range. Charging up his eyes, Jake prepared for triumph.

Except it never came.

He did not see the human's hand drop to his utility belt or the yellow canister, but he did hear a hiss. And he did feel the splitting pain after.

He let out a strangled cry. His hands went to his eyes, vigorously wiping away whatever corrosive substance off his face. It hurt, oh dear X'hal, it hurt so bad. Never before had he experienced such an acute pain like this. It felt like his eyes were melting!

His flight vanished, and his feet touched the ground. Pain shot up from his injured leg, causing him to fall to his knees.

In those brief nanoseconds of charging, his eyes were at their most vulnerable. They were not hot enough to burn the substance before it made contact, but just hot enough to exacerbate its effects.

A fist flung into the side of his face, knocking him to the ashen ground. His head rang, a myriad of pain overtaking him. Something blunt thrust into his stomach, stripping him of all breath. Jake cursed himself for whimpering.

"And here I thought you might actually present some kind of challenge to me," a cruel voice taunted. Jake saw a distorted yellow image approach him; he struggled to get up but was punished with a sharp kick to the side. He flopped onto the ground, a metallic taste in his mouth.

"Guess, I was wrong. You're hardly anything special. It was foolish of him to get so excited over you."

Tears fell from Jake's eyes. From fear or the poison, he did not know. "Please," he whispered, hating how weak he sounded.

"Tt. How pathe--ooomf!"

Suddenly, a black mass descended upon the boy.

Jake pried open his swollen eyes. The area around them was raw, a consequence of his frantic rubbing. He was sure if he looked into a mirror, the greenness would be gone. He let out a pitiful sob, for surely, he was blind.

He was shocked to find Nightwing, in all of his tight-suit glory, pinning Sword Boy against a wall. He looked resoundingly pissed. Even with the mask, Jake could see the severe expression on his face. "Damian, what the actual hell do you think you're doing?"

_Damian_. Sword Boy now had a name. It was hideous, more hideous than Jake, but a name. And Nightwing _knew_ it. They knew each other. Nightwing knew the boy who tried to kill him and put his sister in danger.

Of course, he did!

He felt utterly foolish. This had been some sort of elaborate trap! Why else would he insist on eating pancakes? Especially when they could just eat more hot dogs! There probably was not even a pancake ritual!

How could he, the master tactician that he was, be so stupid? Well, he decided to give himself a break. This was on Mar'i. He had been adamant on not trusting Nightwing, but no, she insisted they give him a chance. If they did not wind of being human breakfast, he would have to rub this in her face.

"Really, Nightwing?" the boy named Damian scowled, further confirming their acquaintance. Jake spotted his blade, strewn several feet on the ground. "I thought we agreed on no names in the field."

"Oh shut up! I explicitly told you not to get involved!" Nightwing hissed. His face loomed closer. "I can't believe you would do this!"

Damian held up his nose, and Jake could just feel eyes rolling underneath those opaque lenses. "Tt. I had no choice. Your inaction in handling this matter had led to the abduction of a civilian and thousands of dollars of property damage."

" _Handling?_ Is that what you think this is, Damian?" Nightwing's voice cracked, a rare sign of vulnerability. "I don't want to handle them, damn it! I am trying to get to know them-"

"Please," he snorted, sounding bored. "Spare me the histrionics."

Jake agreed with Sword Boy. It disturbed him how quickly Nightwing imprinted on him and Mar'i. They had only met just hours ago, and he treated them as if they were his own children. Dumb Earthlings and their dumb sentimentalities.

Nightwing's lips pursed, his patience waning. "You've gone too far this time, Damian," he said gravely. "Really, you got your bat-demon-thing to abduct me? Just so you could kill him-"

"First off, Goliath is a dragon bat," he told him matter-of-factly. "Second, does he look dead to you, Grayson? I merely incapacitated him. Do you not understand the difference?"

"-You had to do that with a sword?"

"The sword was merely a distraction. It was the pepper-spray-"

"You pepper-sprayed him? What the fuck, Damian? He's just a kid!"

In the midst of their quarrel, Jake pulled himself up from the ground. It was grueling, but already, he could feel his Tamaranean body hard at work at healing him. He was at his most powerful in the morning, and he had eaten fairly recently. Hot dogs truly were an excellent source of nourishment. He made a mental note to tell his scientists about them.

He blinked his eyes. The gnawing pain began to edge away-- slowly.

_Mar'i_. He had to get her and get off this stupid planet. Earth absolutely blows. He was exhausted of monster-children and dancing men! He wanted to get far, far away from them. He doubted even 26 lightyears was enough!

They would go home--together. Back to Mama and zorkaberry treats and warm sheets. They would go home and never return.

His feet lifted off the ground, afraid that if he moved too quickly, they would spot him and attack him.

"Jake?"

He whipped around to see Nightwing before him, his features marred with worry.

Feelings of betrayal renewed, Jake snarled at him. "You tricked me, Earthling! We trusted you, and you did the tricking of us!"

Nightwing reeled back. He held up his hands. "No, no! I had nothing to do with this-"

"You are a dirty _pokar!_ " Jake spat, his body hot with rage. "Was this all some elaborate ruse to eat me?"

"What? No!" Nightwing protested, vigorously shaking his head. "Look, I know this looks bad, but I promise you-"

"Earthen promises mean nothing! You are a species without honor!" Jake shouted and balled up his fists. His anger amplified with every shot of ache in his body. "You are the mean!"

"Jake, please, if you would just let me explain," he begged, ripe with despair. "This isn't how I wanted to do things, but I'll tell you everything, okay? Who I am, who you are-"

"We have already introduced ourselves. I am Prince Jakand'r-"

Since their meeting, Nightwing had donned a mask, both metaphorically and literally. He had been confident and in control. Now, he was quite distressed. "You're special to me. Please, I know that doesn't make much sense right now, but if you'll just calm down-"

Heat swiveled around Jake's fists. His words only incited his anger. He wished he would just shut up!

"All we asked of you was to provide the location of Killer Moth! And yet, all you have done is confuse me with your strange Earthen rituals and dances and give me a nonconsensual nickname!"

"Killer Moth is in a place called Arkham Asylum!" Nightwing blurted in a last-ditch effort to earn his trust. "It's in a city called Gotham. I can take you there! You, me, and Mar'i, we can just go now!"

Jake sizzled at his admission. The information had been given so simply, yet to get it, he had to be dragged from the sky and attacked by a boy in a gaudy outfit! "It matters not! Once I find my sister, we are leaving this horrible planet! And we are never returning!"

Nightwing's shoulders dropped, his mouth agape. His voice was shaky, "Please, no. I just found you, please-"

Impulsively, Nightwing reached out to him. His hand was slow, tentative, but it was enough for Jake to interpret as a threat.

A blinding blue light emitted, and Nightwing's body thrust backward and slammed into the brick wall behind him. The blast was so strong, the wall crumbled from the impact, and Nightwing fell through. His body laid limp amongst the debris and smoldering pile of bricks.

Jake stared at the smoldering display, his eyes widening. He was confused about how to feel. He had never hurt anyone before. Battle was confined in the training room or spontaneous starbolt skirmishes with Mar'i. Starfire had ensured he would never see the heat of an actual fight.. until now.

Damian gave him no time to search his feelings. Somehow, he had reclaimed his sword off the ground and was now slashing through the air. His attacks were faster, more bloodthirsty. This new development, combined with his injuries, made it even more difficult to evade him.

Eye beams were a no-go. With his eyes in such a damaged state, he could hurt himself if he tried to use them. He would have to rely on his hands, but even then, he had unleashed a good portion of his energy on blasting Nightwing.

Adrenaline coursing through his veins, Jake blocked the sword with his gauntlet, and without much thought, swung a flaming fist at Damian.

To his despair, he watched Sword Boy angle his body away from the punch. His sword clunk to the ground, his free hand moving to cup Jake's tricep and the other gripping his wrist. In his shock, the fire disappeared. He twisted and pulled Jake forward in a swift move, launching him into the air and smacking him hard onto the ground.

He tried to lessen the fall with some of his flight, but again, his surprise had left him unprotected. When he hit the ground, Jake was sure he would not be able to get up again. His lungs burned something vicious in his chest.

It was when he heard something pop that he dared open his eyes once more. Smoke surrounded the world around him; the only thing he could see were his hands.

Horrified, Jake decided to test his luck and darted straight into the sky, only to be stopped by a hand on his foot. "You're not going anywhere!" Damian roared before yanking him back to the ground.

Jake fell in a heap. He choked on the foggy air. His limbs felt a thousand pounds heavier, especially his poor abused leg.

A blade jutted from the void and sliced at his face. The damage would have been more severe had Jake not moved a fraction to the side. He felt a sense of dread overcome him, the reality of his situation finally weighing down on him. He was defenseless and weak, and he was probably going to die.

His eyes watered as his shaking hands clutched his bleeding face. This time he was sure they were from fear.

"Tt. Do not cry," a voice echoed through the fog. Jake whipped his head around, trying in vain to locate him. "I won't kill you. I'll even leave your face still recognizable for your mother-"

Jake gritted his teeth. "Silence! Do not speak of her!"

The voice ignored him. "Did she teach you how to fight? Because if so-"

Something snapped inside of Jake. His eyes flickered to his right gauntlet, the ovular jewels of his homeland gleamed. His eyes zeroed in on the strap tying it together. It was made from the skin of a _yot'nar,_ a first beast. It was very strong, but not strong enough to withstand Silkie bites. 

* * *

_"Silkie!" Jake called, using his hands to amplify his voice. His features twisted in annoyance, hands balled up in tiny fists. "Silkie, this isn't funny! Bring it back!"_

_The naughty worm had taken his favorite gauntlet. He had been in the middle of a bath when Silkie snuck into his room and took the blasted thing! Jake was convinced the larva had it out for him, considering this was not the first time he had done this. His stuff was constantly disappearing and reappearing in the most obscure places, covered in drool!_

_Jake hovered in the gardens, a place Silkie spent the majority of his time. He was an elusive one, even in his old age._

_"Silkie! I swear, I'm never giving you anymore treats again!"_

_"Jaki, what are you doing out here?" Startled, Jake spun around and saw Starfire, sporting a worried look. She wore black and silver, the And'r house colors; it was her regal attire, which she wore during the day when she did Empress-y things. Jake preferred her in either blues or purple, but his mother was beautiful in anything._

_"Mama," he complained, exasperated, "Silkie took my gauntlet!"_

_She smiled, humored. "Aw, again?"_

_"Yes! Why does he keep doing this?" He crossed his arms in a resolute pout. "He doesn't do this to you or Mar'i."_

_"Perhaps you have tasty clothes, my love," she joked, coming over to place her hand on his cheek._

_"And my weapons, and my rocks, and my pillows, and my books, and my-"_

_He was interrupted by a laugh. He shot her a serious glare, indicating that this was no joking matter. She stifled her mirth but kept her smile. "I shall help you find him."_

_"It's no use! I cannot find him anywhere, Mama! He's too sneaky."_

_"Oh," she said, raising a red eyebrow. "I'm sure he's around here somewhere." She closed her eyelids, long lashes fanning her cheeks. She took a deep breath, her bejeweled corset rising with her movements._

_"Mama?" Jake asked curiously._

_"Yes, sweetling?" she hummed._

_"What are you doing?"_

_"I am finding Silkie," she answered. A smile crept onto her features, and her eyes fluttered open. "There he is."_

_"You found him?" He was confused; all she did was close her eyes! "How?"_

_She gave him a sly smile, "It is a Mama's secret, I'm afraid."_

_"Mama!"_

_She chuckled and looped her fingers around the ends of his hair. "Your hair is getting longer," she commented, purposefully ignoring him. "Perhaps a haircut is in order."_

_He shook his head and pinned her with a glare. "Mama, you must tell me. You said secrets were bad."_

_"Oh?" she smirked. "Did I?"_

_"Yes! You said this yesterday!"_

_She hummed, pretending to think it over. "Perhaps I'll tell you my little trick-"_

_His eyes glimmered. "You will?"_

_She nodded. "If you do something for me, of course."_

_"Anything, Mama!" he chirped._

_"Anything?"_

_"Anything," he said resolutely. He held his hand to his heart, eyes intent. "A Prince's Sacred Promise."_

_"A Prince's Sacred Promise," she repeated, brows raised. "Alright, Prince Jakand'r. You have yourself a deal. Now, tomorrow, Mar'i and I are heading into the city to do some shopping. You must come."_

_He groaned, "A girl's trip? But Mama, that sounds awful!"_

_"Whatever happened to a 'Prince's Sacred Promise', hmm?" Starfire pointed out. "Besides, you shall have fun! Besides, we'll stop by a weapon's shop."_

_He pouted, considering. "I do want another battle-ax," he mumbled. "Fine! I'll go. Now, tell me the secret, Mama."_

_Giggling, she moved behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Close your eyes, bumgorf."_

_He did as she instructed. "Tell me what you feel."_

_His brows furrowed. "Your hands?"_

_"Good, what else?"_

_"Um, the sun?"_

_"Excellent, bumgorf," she praised. "Tamaraneans are servants of Vega. She is our primary source of nourishment; it gives us our strength and flight."_

_"And starbolts?" he whispered, eyes still closed._

_"And starbolts."_

_"And Mar'i's invisibility?"_

_"And Mar'i's invisibility."_

_"It's not fair," he grumbled. "Why does she get to turn invisible?"_

_He heard her chuckle. "Perhaps this trick will even things out a bit."_

_Jake whipped back, eyes wide. "Really?"_

_She smiled. "Really. Now, focus, sweetling."_

_He turned back and clenched his eyes closed. His face was full of determination. "Every living thing needs energy to survive, Jaki. Whether it be in the form of sunlight, or food, or heat. Life cannot be without it."_

_"Yes, Mama," he nodded._

_"Find that energy, Jaki. Find it in me, in the trees, the flowers. See how it vibrates all around us. Feel it, Jaki."_

_He frowned and tried. All he could feel was the heat of the sun and his mother's presence. "I don't feel it."_

_"Of course, you can," she assured him. "You just have to search, not call. Simply acknowledge its presence."_

_He pursed his lips and clenched his eyes shut—the sun and Mama. There were no vibrations, only solid entities. "Breathe, Jaki. It will come," she soothed._

_In the darkness, he felt something tingle. It was like a faint buzzing, but he was sure it was there. It touched everything: him, Mama, the flowers, the insects in the grass. They were all connected in a way, attached. "Oh wow," he said, amazed._

_He **felt** movement on Starfire's face, and he just knew she was smiling. "It is a sixth sense. A gift from X'Hal," she said, kissing his cheek. "Now, find Silkie."_

_Jake's face scrunched up as he concentrated, and sure enough, the little worm was beneath one of the verandas. He was not far at all! And he was munching on his gauntlet! "Hey!" he shouted, eyes snapping open. He ran towards the veranda before stopping and turning back to his mother._

_"Wait," he pouted, "is this how you always win at hide and seek?"_

_She gave him a cheeky grin, green eyes flashing. "I would never!"_

_"Mama!"_

* * *

Jake's fiddled with the strap. After Silkie's death, he could bring himself to replace it.

That cherished memory of his mother had calmed him. His breathing evened as he recalled the bounce of her red curls, the feel of her arms around him, and suddenly, he was not scared. She was with him, always.

His resolve fell into place. He would beat Damian. He repeated the statement over and over until it became a solidified fact, and he would do it with her help.

He closed his eyes and concentrated, searching for those familiar tingles.

"I wonder what she would say now if she saw you like this?" Damian continued to torment. He heard the scraping of metal, but Jake ignored the trembling. He would not be scared. "Perhaps she would replace you? I heard she was indiscriminate with her affections."

_Where are you? Where are you?_

Jake exhaled and inhaled. He searched the darkness.

"I'll be generous. If you kiss my boot now and beg for mercy, I'll let you go with just a scrape-"

_Found you._

Jake snapped his eyes open. "You talk too much, Earthling," Jake said, unfazed. "You hesitate to kill me because lack the strength to do it."

The clouds of smoke scoffed. "Have you not noticed your current predicament? I have you on your death bed."

"What I notice is that you continue to waste my time. What is the matter? Do you intend to bore me to death? Because I must confess, you are succeeding. I am bored."

The silence was deafening, but Jake held strong. He prepared himself, already lifting himself a centimeter from the ground. Finally, a sinister voice said, "As you wish."

Damian moved, Jake moved. He followed the electrical impulses and found the human's heat signature. Before the boy could even lift his arm to strike, Jake was on him. Before the boy could flex his wrist, Jake had already caught it in his hands.

He made sure to do it fast. He gave Damian a brief look before snapping his wrist, squeezing so hard that he felt the bones crumble underneath his fingers.

Damian howled in pain, dropping his sword. Desperate, his other hand moved to his utility belt, but Jake knew better this time. He caught the second wrist, clutched it, and he _bent it._

Damian let out another cry, his knees buckling. 

Jake had bested him and all his little tricks. No more smoke, no more pesky gadgets, and with two broken wrists, no more sword. He had won.

Feeling petty, Jake lifted his uninjured leg. He lowered his gaze to the struggling both underneath him. "Do not worry," Jake said, "I will leave your face recognizable for your mother."

His leg shot straight down into Damian's knee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess just a disclaimer: I'm not an experienced writer. I have written possibly 100+ lab reports, but I'm afraid I've never touched an action scene before. So I want to apologize for any awkward phrasing. I did try to compensate by writing more of Jake's perspective, so hopefully, it was kind of amusing. 
> 
> Jake's new trick is a mix of thermoreception and electroreception. The mechanics work the same way for Mar'i's new trick, too. 
> 
> Aw, yes, Jake won. I knew whatever fight between them would be brutal. I really wanted to Jake to win without his starbolts. Originally, this chapter was supposed to be longer, but it was already way too long, so I capped it here. 
> 
> Also, for this chapter, I scrapped the italics on the dialogue. They're all speaking English here, and even though, it's in Jake POV, it was getting too distracting. 
> 
> Lastly, hope you are all safe and well! Thank you for the reviews and kudos!


	12. Chapter 12

The servants steered clear as their sovereign tore through the palace. She was as menacing as she was fragile. Her eyes sparked, and her hair feathered in red flames. She was imposing, glorious, but she was also breaking. She moved with absolute destruction; she punished every room, every nook, and every cranny that failed to produce her babies.

Her councilmen and personal guard tailed behind her, albeit at a cautious distance. The Empress had always been a fierce woman, but now, she was terrifying. "I want the entire planet on lockdown," she raved, unstable. "I want every house, business, whatnot in Tamarus searched. Apprehend anyone who even looks remotely suspicious."

"Yes, Your Majesty," they all said in unison. 

Unable to control the volatile feelings inside her, she released a wall of green energy at a thousand-year-old statue of some war general. The councilmen and guards ducked as fiery stones flew in every direction. Starfire remained undeterred. A flaming head of marble rolled at her feet. Raging, she stomped on it. It did not make her feel better. If anything, it made her thirst for more. 

She straightened up, shoulders shaking, and heaved, "Call Galfore back to the palace."

"But Your Majesty, Lord Galfore is vacationing on the Swamp Moons of Drenthax IV. Our transmissions would take too long-"

Growling, Starfire transformed a love seat into flaming pile of rubble. 

One of them swallowed, "Very good, Your Majesty. We shall send a messenger immediately."

"I want the best forensic scientists in Vega here within the hour," she continued. "I want a list of every vessel that has entered and left my realm in the last week. Send out a transmission to the leaders of Vega-"

The Empress's secretary came sprinting down the hall. He cowered at her intense gaze. "Empress, forgive me," he bowed, trepidation lacing his words, "we have received multiple incoming transmissions from Azarath-"

"What could she possibly want now!" Starfire heaved. "We are in a state of emergency-- my children are missing! Do not bother me with such trivial matters."

"Yes, Empress," he gulped, head held down, and fled.

"No one enters or leaves the palace without my permission. I want a record of everyone who has been here in the month-- Tamaranean or not-- royalty or not-- find them and interrogate them! Use whatever methods of interrogation necessary-"

"-Grand Ruler-"

Starfire spun around and exploded, "WHAT!? WHAT NOW!"

Hav'ular of Zorris, a maid of only fifteen, shrunk. She looked on the verge of crying; she clamped down on the journal in her hands. 

"Speak, girl!" another one of her councilmen snapped. Their gazes bore into her. 

Hav'ular managed to pull herself together enough to lift up the book. "I-I found this in the Prince's study, Empress."

The same councilmen scowled, "You brought her a book? You must be daft, girl!"

"I-I-" she started but resolved to flipping through the journal's contents. She lifted up the desired page and displayed it for her the Empress. 

Starfire looked at the journal with scorn, but then, her eyes shifted to the crude stick-figure drawings and the blue and green circle. 

She had never been one to feel the cold. She was Tamaranean, after all, a being of sunlight. She could survive the rigidity of space.

But in that moment, Starfire was cold, freezing even. The fire had left her, leaving her just as quickly as it had came. 

She approached Hav'ular's shaking form, no longer the figure of terror, and took the journal. Silently, she flipped through the pages, her face devoid of any emotion. 

Everyone watched her: Hav'ular, her councilmen, her guards. They waited for the next lash out, whether it be in the form of fire or tears, but there was none. 

Finally, after a pregnant silence, Starfire held up her head. Her eyes were blank, a stark contrast to the unhinged fury they contained seconds ago. "I will take the call to Azarath in my chambers. You are all dismissed."

She turned to Hav'ular mid-bow. "Thank you," she whispered before making her way to the Royal Apartments.

* * *

Starfire expected to cry when she entered the privacy of her own room. In truth, the feelings felt muted, almost as if she dared not feel them. The barrier around them was the very same one she had used to smother the guilt she had felt all these years. 

She flopped on her loveseat, exhausted. Her eyes absently grazed the smooth surface of the journal, her fingers clutching onto it like it was life itself. She breathed and felt the first onslaught of tears leave her eyes.

Had she even cried yet? She was not sure. She had been so consumed with anger and the desperate need to find them; she scarcely had the time. 

Oh X'hal, what had she done.

She swallowed the lump in her throat but kept her head down. "Hello, Raven," she spoke to the darkness of the room.

The sorceress emerged from the shadows. Her robe covered her eyes. "Hello, Star."

"When did you come in?" she asked, her back still turned. 

"When you did not answer my ninth call," Raven answered. She moved across the room, stepping over the broken furniture. "You and your furniture had some kind of disagreement?"

Starfire smiled sadly, "You should see the rest of the palace." 

"Perhaps some other time."

"Yes," she breathed, unsteadily, "perhaps another time."

She felt the loveseat shift beside her, but Starfire could not bring herself to look at her friend.

She opened her mouth but then shut it. So much to say, so much to ask, but not enough strength to do so.

"Does-" she said, trying to regain control of her bottom lip. "D-does h-he...does-"

"Yes, Star," Raven helped her. "Yes, he knows."

Starfire choked. "Well, I suppose, the time has finally come."

Raven smiled and placed her hand on her shoulder. Violet eyes met green. "Yes, it is. Do you want me to warp them here?" 

Starfire shook her head. "No," she said, "no, he will follow. I do believe that I must-- as you say-- 'grow a pair' and face this. I am not the woman I once was; I am all too grown to run away, now." 

"You do not have to do this alone, Star."

"I know," she said brokenly, grabbing the hand on her shoulder. "I know, Raven. You have been the best of friend. Truly, I do not deserve you."

"Star-"

"I have put you in an impossible position, and for that, I am sorry. But I am grateful." She looked at the tapestry above her bed. One of the few wall pieces that had not been pulled down. She had it commissioned when her babies were only three. Jaki sat on her right, Mar'i on her left., Silkie in her lap. Made with the finest threads in Vega. 

"I only have one more request of you. Could you do me this favor, Raven?" she whispered, her eyes never leaving the tapestry. 

"Anything, Star."

Her eyes flickered back to her friend. "Take me to Earth."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Jake left the journal. To be fair, he tried to hide it behind a pillow.


	13. Broken Diadems

Jake did not spend time relishing his triumph. Once he made sure Damian’s knee was significantly shattered, he left the boy writhing on the alley floor. Part of him wanted to stay and gloat, but a voice sounding suspiciously like Galfore reprimanded him for that. Besides, he needed to rescue Mar’i and book it to Tamaran.

As he turned to leave, he spared a glance at Nightwing’s limp form. He had not moved, but sensing his body temperature, Jake knew he lived. He was secretly glad. Nightwing was a no-good, filthy traitor, but he did not deserve to die. 

He flew to the rooftops, his flight wobbly. He made sure to stay in the sunlight and avoid the shadows from the buildings. His fall and consequential sore leg prevented him venturing too high. 

It would take a great deal to flee the planet in his current state. His body was riddled with aches and pains, and his internal energy supply was running low. He wanted to lay down and soak up some sun, but he was determined to find his sister first.

“Jaki!” The voice was blissfully familiar. He twirled around and found Mar’i soaring towards him. He choked on a relieved sigh. Thank X’hal, she was unharmed. 

“Mar’i!” he cried, ecstatic. 

She closed the distance between them in seconds. Her arms wrapped soundly around him, her face buried into the crook of his neck. He was smothered in a mass of black curls. 

She pulled back, concerned, when she heard him groan. Her eyes widened in horror when noticed his abused form. “X’hal, Jaki, what has happened to you? Are you okay?”

“I was attacked,” he answered, his hands never leaving her shoulders. 

She gasped. “Attacked? By who?”

“Some psychotic Earthen child,” he snorted. He winced when she ran her fingers over the cut on his face. “He attacked me with a sword and sprayed me with some kind of toxic substance.”

Her eyes flashed pink and narrowed. “I will kill him!”

“Don’t worry, Mar’i,” he calmed, “The Earthling never stood a chance. I broke both his wrists and his knee.”

“Oh wow,” she marveled, impressed. Wasting no time, she transferred a large sum of her energy to him. The pain in his body instantly lessened. Small bruises and scrapes disappeared, and the skin around his eyes lost their reddish hue.

He pushed her away, his eyes scolding. “Mar’i! Why are you giving me so much? You could get sick!”

She smirked, “Don’t even worry about it. I have enough energy to last me days.”

“What?” His eyebrows were raised. “How?”

She perked up as she regaled him, “Oh, Jake! I met a Kryptonian today! Well, actually, a half-Kryptonian-”

“Whoa, really?” he gaped. As in the planet from the Rao System? “But I thought Krypton was destroyed?”

Her head bobbed up and down. “It was! Imagine that, me meeting one of the last descendants of Krypton?”

His brows drew together in confusion. “And he gave you his energy?”

“Well, I sort of stole it,” she trailed, her cheeks reddening. She twiddled with her fingers. “Through the lip contact.”

He reeled back, “What? Mar’i, Mama said Earthlings use the lip contact for their children! What if he thinks you have adopted him? I’m too young to be an uncle, Mar’i!” 

Her eyes widened in horror. “You? What about me? I’m eight years old, Jaki! I’m too young to be a mother!”

“Well, should the topic come up, you should prepare to take responsibility, Mar’i,” he said sagely. She blanched and began rambling incoherently about intergalactic child laws. While she did so, his fingers caressed his cheek. It was speckled with dry blood, but the cut was long gone. He was still sore in some places; his eyes felt swollen, but overall, the extra boost of processed solar energy performed wonders. “I guess, I’m not complaining. I was really hurting.”

Her hold returned, her gaze fretful. “Oh Jaki, I was so worried. I thought I lost you.” 

She grew concerned when he did not answer her. Usually, he would disregard her concern with some comment about her being icky and whatnot, but instead, she watched his face fall. His shoulders began to tremble as did his bottom lip. “Jaki, are you alright?” she inquired worriedly. 

Tears began to leak from his eyes. “Oh, Mar’i. I thought I was going to die,” he confessed, his voice broken. “I-I didn’t- I didn’t think I was ever going to s-see you again.”

Gently, Mar’i took him in her arms, and together, they floated down to a rooftop. He sniffled into her hair. “I would never let anyone take you away from me, Jaki,” she told him, not an ounce of doubt in her voice. 

Nodding, he pulled back and wiped his face, “I’m sorry,” he whimpered.

She frowned, “Whatever for?”

“For being weak,” he tried to compose himself. 

“Jaki, we shared a womb. You can cry in front of me.” She gave him a gentle smile and hugged him once more. “Besides, I cry all the time! Last week, I cried for hours because I broke my favorite diadem.”

“Yeah but-”

“Do you remember what you did?” she interrupted him.

His nose crinkled. “I called you silly for crying over jewelry.”

“Yes,” she said before shooting a quick glare, “but you also stayed by my side the entire night. I was so upset over something silly, but you still stayed. And it meant everything to me. It made me feel safe and loved.”

“But Mar’i,” he hiccupped, “how can I be a mighty warrior if I cry?”

She made him look squarely at her. “Jaki, you’re the strongest person I know. You could cry rivers, and I’d still think that.” There was not a trace of insincerity in her words. She meant what she said. She gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. “Mama says it's okay to be weak with your family. When we hurt, we hurt together. When we heal, we heal together. It’s what makes us strong.”

“But-”

“But nothing. Mama is never wrong,” she shook her head, resolute. She cocked her head to the side. “Would it make you feel better if I cried with you?” 

Jake paused his sniffling and gave her a befuddled look. She was completely serious; he could see it in her eyes. His head meekly bobbed up and down. “Okay.”

Mar’i smiled and held him close. She tried not to notice how bad he smelled or the funky brown stuff on his clothes. Inhaling, she closed her eyes and thought about something that made her sad. She could not decide if pink was her favorite color, or if it was lavender. The indecision often haunted her nights. Tears began to roll down her face as she once again fell into that turmoil. 

They held each other for a solid minute before finally, Jake pulled away. His breathing was still shaky, but his mood had improved drastically. He had not realized how afraid he truly was. For a moment there, he thought he would never see his family again, that he would die in that rat-infested alley. 

“Thanks, Mar’i,” he said earnestly as he wiped the last of his tears.

She beamed at him and gave him a soft punch to the shoulder. “Of course, Jaki.” She presented him her hand. “Handshake?”

He let out a laugh. He grasped her hand in his. “Handshake.” 

Their super-special, ultimate-twin handshake was reserved for hard times. It was a reminder. No matter what life threw at them--whether it be in the form of broken diadems or nearly escaping homicidal children-- they would still have each other. 

When they concluded their series of complicated hand gestures, Mar’i gave him an encouraging smile. “Now that we’ve done that, let’s find Nightwing and-”

“Nightwing betrayed us!” Jake rage, his eyes flashing blue. 

“What? What do you mean he betrayed us?” Mar’i demanded, clearly taken aback.

“I mean, he is a dirty  _ pokar!” _ he seethed. He fought the urge to charge his fists. His hair stood up on the back of his neck. “He set this whole thing up!”

Mar'i eyes rounded, hurt accenting on her features. “But how do you know, Jaki?”

“Because he was in the alley, Mar’i! He was speaking to the boy who tried to kill me!” 

“Oh no,” she gasped. Her hands went to her mouth. “B-but I thought he was Mama’s friend? He said he would help us if we ate the dessert cakes of breakfast-”

“A trick,” Jake cut her off, clenching his jaw. “He took advantage of your feeble mind, Mar’i-”

“-feeble?-”

“-but it was all a trap,” he finished before smirking, “but do not worry, I blasted him.”

She tilted her head to the side. “You did?”

“Mhm! You should have seen it, Mar’i!” He broke out into a silly grin. “Sword Boy was like ‘you’re a spawn’ and I was like ‘your manhood is very small and you’re insecure about it’ and he was like ‘that is the worst but most clever thing anyone has ever said to me’ and then Nightwing came and was all like ‘no, don’t leave’ but I was like ‘you are a  _ pokar’ _ and he was like ‘yes, I am but please do not leave, Killer Moth is in Gotham City, you’re special and super great’ and then I was like boom! And then Sword Boy was like ‘grr!’ and then I was like crunch!” 

Mar’i tried desperately to follow him. He gesticulated widely with his hands, stopping to demonstrate how he broke Damian’s wrists. “Wait,” she stopped him, frowning. “Killer Moth is in this...Gotham City?”

He shot her an annoyed look and waved his hand dismissively. “Yeah, in a place called Arkham Asylum.”

“Then what are we waiting for?" she cried, reaching for his holopad. "Let’s-”

“No,” he said firmly, his hand stopping hers. “We're heading home, Mar’i.”

“What?” she exclaimed, flabbergasted. “What do you mean we are heading home? Back to Tamaran?”

“Yes.”

“But we can’t! We don’t have a new Silkie, Jaki!”

He regarded her sadly, his expression disappointed. “It doesn’t matter anymore, Mar’i. Earth is too dangerous. You were right; coming here was a stupid idea.”

“B-but we’ve come all this way, and we are both alive a-and-”

“We got lucky this time. I don’t want to see if that’s true for the next.” He rang his head. “It’s just not worth the risk anymore. We can just get Mama another rock or something.”

“I don't want to get Mama another rock. Jaki, come on, we are so close,” she pleaded with him, her eyes glistening. 

“I want to go home,” he told her truthfully. He sniffed, “I want a bath, zorkaberry treats, and most of all, I want you safe. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you.”

Her face dropped, and she pulled away from him. “So,” she breathed shakily, “this is it? Our adventure is ending?”

“Hey, don’t say that!” he smiled. “There are still plenty of adventures to go on. We’ll just have to stay away from this side of the galaxy.”

She was not convinced. She bit her lip and prepared to fight him. “But Jaki, I don’t think- ow!”

“What is it?” Jake inquired, rushing over to her side. 

“Something bit me!” she hissed, turning her attention to the back of thigh. She held up something small and black in her hand. The strange object was the most peculiar shape. It was all jagged and angular, and it had a needle at its end. “What is it?” 

“I don’t- ow!” Jake felt something sting at his right shoulder. He looked down and noticed the same object piercing his exposed skin. He pulled it out, glaring at the confounded thing. “What in X’hal’s name is this!”

“Jaki,” he heard Mar’i call, her voice frantic. He looked up and saw her swaying back and forth. Her movements were slow; she fought the closing of her eyes. “I don’t feel so good.”

His eyes tried to widen, but his eyelids felt heavy. He wrestled with them to stay open. His breathing slowed, and his limbs grew heavy. “Mar’i,” he called out. 

Unceremoniously, his sister flopped onto the ground, and it was not long before he joined her. He landed on his elbows. His head was spinning; darkness edged into the corners of his eyes. He wanted to cover Mar'i, but he could not move his body. 

Jake was sure he hallucinating before he fell into the darkness. A tall, imposing figure contrasted against the grey pavement; it did not look like it belonged in the daylight. Truly, it was a thing of nightmares. Black pointy ears sprouted from his head. 

It teleported, too. In one blink, it was on the other side of the roof, and in the next, it was in front Jake. 

Slowly, his eyeballs lifted to see the creature. "Sleep," a gravely voice commanded of him.

And he did. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Batman tranqed the twins. Yep, he sure did. I mean, they did just destroy two Robins and sucked the life out of SuperBoy. 
> 
> I know that I have been flooding you guys with updates. My classes are starting soon, so I won't be able to write as much for a while. This will probably be my last update for a while, so I am happy I got to stop it here on a twin-centric chapter.
> 
> As always, I hope all of you are well! Thank you for all the kudos and comments!


	14. Chapter 14

A pair of blue eyes peeked through black eyelashes. His vision took a while to return. The bleak colors of the Batcave blurred into one dark cloud. He picked up the outline of the heart monitor and the little waste bin filled with bloodied gauzes and swabs. Were those from him?

It was a great effort for him to lift his head enough to inspect the rest of his body. Gone was his Nightwing uniform, replaced with a pair of grey sweats and a loose-fitting undershirt. His body had definitely seen better days. Bruises and bandages lined his exposed arms in plenty, and based on his current numbness, his injuries must have been pretty gnarly for Alfred to medicate him this heavily.

Granted, Dick was not complaining, but it did make piecing together what happened harder.

His head fell back into the comforts of his pillow. His brows etched together in heavy contemplation.

Damian was there, he was sure, and he was angry at him. Like really, really angry at him. Why? He had disobeyed him, but that was weird. He was always annoyed when Damian did that, but this was different. He had been furious; it almost felt like a betrayal. Damian must have done something really bad.

Dick's mouth pressed together as he encountered another mental hurdle. Stupid pain meds.

_Blue_ .

A lot of it. A favorite color of his, definitely a recurring one. He had known lots of blue eyes, including his one. His insignia was blue, so was his toothbrush and favorite pair of socks. Blue, blue, blue.

But this blue was different. It was so tiny, so fierce, so precious. Oh, wow, he did not think there was anything more beautiful in the entire world than this blue.

_"You tricked me, Earthling! We trusted you, and you did the tricking of us!"_

_"You are a dirty pokar!"_

His eyes snapped wide open, and his upper body shot straight up. Without a second thought, his hand frantically tore the IV from his arm before swinging his legs off the side of the medical bed.

How could he have possibly forgotten? Damian, Jon Kent. Goliath!? They were there-- in New York-- attacking Mar'i and Jake-- his long-lost space babies! This was bad-- real bad. His little brother still was a murderistic little shit, and Jon, well, he was just grappling with his powers! Combine this duo with a pair of super-powered space twins, and you get…

Well, he did not want to think about what you get.

" _Once I find my sister, we are leaving this horrible planet! And we are never returning!"_

Dick stopped mid-hop off the bed, feeling his heart sink in his chest. What if they did manage to escape Jon and Damian, and what if...they left? Of course, he would prefer them safe and away from whatever Damian had planned, but the thought of never seeing them again shattered him.

How could anything ever be the same? Sure, the last twenty-four hours had been an emotional rollercoaster, full of shock and anger and stress, but in the midst of that, he felt a happiness of which he had never known. And being without it, the thought was unbearable.

He may have only shared a few precious sentences with them, may have been blasted through a wall by one of them, but there was one simple truth in all of this. One that would drive him to steal Bruce's spaceship and to travel all the way to Tamaran just to see them again.

They existed, and they were his.

"Don't even think about getting up."

Dick paused, muscles tensing, and turned to the owner of the voice. "Bruce," he breathed. His mentor stood several feet away from him, looking dapper in his black turtleneck and khakis. His disposition was characteristically intense, brows furrowed and mouth pressed.

"Prepare to face Alfred's wrath if you get up. He spent a better half an hour stitching you up," Bruce warned.

Dick had a thousand questions to ask, but for some reason, all he could get out was, "I'm fine."

Bruce snorted and crossed his arms, a sliver of disapproval in his eyes, "Sure, you are. You only have a concussion and three broken ribs."

Dick winced at that. He peeked down at his battered body, once again thanking the pain meds for doing their job. "Nothing I haven't dealt with before," he dismissed before changing his tone. "Look, thanks for helping me, B, really, but I've got to get going and-"

"And go where exactly?" Bruce challenged, narrowing his steely blue eyes.

Dick gawked at him. "Where do you think, Bruce? I've got to find Jake and Mar'i-"

"You'll do no such thing, Master Dick," Alfred primly cut in. The beloved family butler strode up from behind him, carrying a tray of tea and sandwiches. He pinned Dick with an all-too-familiar, resolute look. One that told him to shut and do what he was told. "You are in no condition to be moving."

Dick's face twisted into a disbelieving scowl. "Oh, come on, I'm thirty years old!"

"What thirty-year-old tries to lure an alien Prince and Princess with a musical number and mustard?" Bruce retorted.

Dick pursed his lips and glared at him, eye twitching slightly. He shot a look at Alfred to find him raising his eyebrow at him. "This one does! Okay, I'm sorry I didn't want to battle my children."

"They still tried to kill you," Bruce pointed out, tart, "and the boy blasted you through a wall."

"It wasn't their fault. I scared them, and they reacted!" His eyes flickered to his wounds. "And Jake," he paused, suddenly saddened, "I mean, he thought I was in on it with Damian. He thought…" he swallowed, "he thought I was going to hurt him."

"You're lucky to be alive."

"Yeah, well, he's still my son, and he's awesome." Knowing that it was pointless to argue, he heaved his body off the bed. As always, fate was against him; the moment his feet touched the ground, his knees buckled, and he smacked onto the cool surface of the floor.

A sharp pain resonated through him, only to fade away in a sea of medicated numbness. He groaned, face pressed against the floor. Still, not one to be deterred, he peeled himself up and staggered to stand, only to be stopped by Bruce's hand.

"Stop it, Dick," he commanded firmly. "You're going to hurt yourself."

"No, you stop, Bruce!" Dick snapped, slapping his hand away. "I've got to find my children! They're out there, probably hurt-"

"They're here."

Dick stopped, mouth open mid-rant. He stared at his former guardian, blinking. "What?" he spluttered.

"They're here, Dick," Bruce repeated. His gaze softened at his son, and his hand returned to his shoulder. "I set them up in the solarium."

"Yes, I've been monitoring them quite closely, sir," Alfred confirmed. Dick swirled to look at him incredulously.

"Yeah, checking them every five minutes," Bruce snorted with a little eye roll. "I think Alfred's just happy to have people to fuss over."

"It is not every day I get to 'fuss' over children, Master Bruce," Alfred snarked, nose held high. "It's usually grown men in Batsuits."

A rush of adrenaline overcame him. He snapped in the direction of the solarium. Bruce set one years ago for Superman to act as a pick-me-up replacement for yellow solar energy. It also could emit red solar energy, but the fact was kept on the down-low. He limped forward, almost falling. His legs felt like a thousand pounds, but it did not matter. He would crawl if he had to.

"Dick, wait-"

"No."

"Master Dick, please!"

"No!"

"Son," Bruce said. He carefully grabbed his arm, making sure to avoid his bandages and stitches. "At least, let me get the wheelchair."

"My legs still work!" Dick growled. He knew he was unreasonable, but damn it, he hated feeling weak.

"I know they do, but you're injured and doped up on pain meds," Bruce reasoned before letting out a resigned sigh. "I'm not saying you can't see them. Just let us help you."

The sincere look in his mentor's eyes calmed him. The tension he had been holding seeped from him. Perhaps being rolled to the solarium was preferable to crawling. Reluctantly, he nodded. Alfred let out a relieved sigh, while Bruce gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you."

He waited for Alfred to pull up the wheelchair, and Bruce helped him in it, being mindful to avoid his more damaged areas. Dick slumped into the seat as Bruce began pushing him in the direction of the solarium, Alfred close behind.

"Okay," Dick said after a minute of silence. "What happened?"

"It seems your kids are much sturdier than they look."

Dick's face scrunched up in confusion. "What do you mean?" he inquired.

"I mean, Damian is in the hospital with two broken wrists and a shattered kneecap," Bruce said, far too neutral for Dick's liking. It was strange to hear him talk about his son getting critically injured with such nonchalance.

"Oh," Dick grimaced. Currently, he was not the biggest fan of the Boy Wonder, and mind you, the kid did deserve an ass whooping for his little stunt. It was satisfying to know that his boy stood his ground against the Demon, but Damian was still his little brother. He loved him. He did not want to see him seriously injured.

"A horseback riding accident, I'm afraid," Alfred added.

Dick raised an eyebrow at that. "Damian? Horseback riding?"

The Dark Knight raised his shoulders. "A break from the usual car accident."

He snorted mirthlessly. "What about Jon Kent? He doesn't strike me as the violent sort."

"He's not, but your daughter drained up 85% of his solar energy. Found him a block away, looking like a dried-up raisin."

Blue eyes rounded. "Oh, damn." The moment he saw Mar'i, he knew that she was the loveliest, most wonderful being ever to exist. He loved her button-nose, shiny green eyes, and that sweet smile of hers. But knowing she defeated the son of Superman-- all on her own? She was awesome!

"Do try not to look so pleased, sir," Alfred deadpanned, "because Master Kent certainly was not."

"He did not give you too much trouble, did he?" Dick asked, half-worried. He liked Superman; he would hate this to put a damper on their relationship.

Bruce shrugged. "Not really. Clark was upset at first, but he's a reasonable man. He was madder at his son for being so stupid."

"Oh."

"I believe the phrase 'grounded for life' was used," Alfred snipped.

"Well, that's good?" Dick said awkwardly. He kind of felt bad for the kid. He was just doing Damian's bidding, after all. He frowned. "Wait, how did you get the twins here?"

Both men remained silent, although he did catch the side-eye Alfred gave his mentor. His eyes narrowed. "Bruce?"

No answer.

"Bruce!"

"I tranqed them."

"What!?" Dick nearly shouted. "Why would you do that?"

"We were out of mustard."

Dick glared icicles at the man. "What the actual hell! They're children!"

"Sure, children who have super strength and starbolts."

"Was drugging them really necessary?" he demanded, clenching his fists. Seriously, what was wrong with the members of his family?

"Yes."

"You're unbelievable!" Dick exclaimed. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb. "They weren't hurt, were they?"

"The girl barely had a scratch on her. The boy was a bit beat up, but he's practically all healed now. It must be his advanced Tamaranean healing.

"And solar lamps?"

"Haven't used them."

"I don't understand," Dick said, frown deepening. "Why put them in the solarium then?"

"The girl snores. Loud. The solarium is soundproof."

As they traversed the Batcave, the glass walls of the solarium revealed themselves. Dick leaned forward in the wheelchair, desperate just to catch a glimpse of his children. He broke out into the biggest grin when he spotted the familiar mops of black hair. They laid side by side, completely passed out. Alfred must have set up cots for them.

Mar'i had her limbs sprawled out, hair a mess, drool dribbling down the sides of her face. She had thrown the blanket off of her. Her right leg twitched slightly. It was funny. She was the very embodiment of elegance and sweetness when she was awake, a true Princess, but she was an agent of chaos when she slept.

She was perfect—his Mar'i.

"I attempted to place them in the same cot, but the Miss kept pushing him off," Alfred commented, a hint of humor in his voice.

Dick's gaze shifted to Jake and stayed there. He nearly choked on his own breath.

The boy was no longer wearing his Tamaranean outfit. He now donned a very familiar pair of elephant-printed pajamas. They had blue trim and bright yellow buttons, but its most significant feature was the embroidered 'RJG' on the breast pocket.

Alfred stepped to the side of him and gave him a sympathetic glance. "His clothes were filthy. I took the liberty of pulling out some of yours."

Dick remained stunned; his mouth felt dry. Tentatively, he brought his fingers up to the surface of the glass. He damned the distance between them, but in a way, he was grateful for the glass barrier. It was too overwhelming. They were too perfect, and he was too unworthy. He would surely break down if he were any closer to them.

"Dick?" Bruce called behind him.

Dick used the back of his hand to wipe his watering eyes. He sniffled. "Sorry, I just-I'm just so happy. I thought t-they-"

A hand found its spot on his shoulder. "They're beautiful."

"Yes. Yes, they are," he breathed, composing himself. He stared at them dreamily. "Jake and Mar'i."

"Mar'i and Jake," Bruce hummed, pretending like he did not already know their names. "Mar'i Grayson. Jake Grayson. I like it."

Dick's face lit up. "Me too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh, I accidentally uploaded this chapter on my Drabble story. Lol, sorry about that. The editing might be a bit weird. 
> 
> Anyway, happy new year! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season! 
> 
> This chapter is bit more emotional. I’m not too confident in my skills in writing Alfred and Bruce, especially the latter. I guess it depends on who writes him, so I decided to make him a bit more fatherly. The fates of Damian and Jon will be elaborated on in more detail in later chapters. This was just to establish Dick’s feelings and where the twins are.
> 
> https://hains-mae.tumblr.com/post/637039387272790016/thank-you-malinee-for-commissioning-me-it-was-so
> 
> Hey! I commissioned Hains Mae to do a portrait of Mar’i and Jake!! It’s absolutely wonderful and I’m obsessed!! 
> 
> Thank you for all the comments and kudos! I reread them all the time.


	15. Tears of Happiness

It took the Princess of Tamaran a good while to figure out she had been kidnapped. She stretched out her arms and legs, satisfied when some of her joints popped, and instinctively wiped the copious amounts of drool off her face. 

She sat up, eyes still firmly shut; her lips smacked a few times. And then she opened her eyes. 

For a second or two, she remained utterly still. Her eyes roamed around the room, catching the shine of the reflective glass walls and her brother's limp form next to her. 

She blinked. She breathed. And she screamed. 

Mar'i never moved so fast in her life. She flung out of the cot and tumbled right onto the cold, hard floor of the solarium. She scrambled up, head whipping around in a panic. Her heart pounded inside her ribcage. The shock alone was enough to make it explode.

She was in some kind of prison! It was a square room, wholly made of glass. Fluorescent beams kept it well-lit, starkly contrasting to the dark world outside its walls. Furniture was sparse, save for a few benches and the cots she and Jake were laying on. 

Mar'i trembled all over; her blood ran ice cold. She peeled herself up from the ground and moved to her brother, stumbling as she went. Her brows etched together in annoyance as she pinned her legs with a glare. Why were they so clumsy all of a sudden? It was as if they weighed a billion pounds. 

She tested her arms and found the same problem. Everything felt heavier. Frowning, she jumped into the air but soon found herself in a heap on the floor. 

"Ouch," Mar'i groaned, rubbing her swollen behind. Her frown deepened; she closed her eyes and concentrated. She beckoned her flight, demanding it lift her from the dingy floor, but to her horror, she felt nothing. "X'hal!" she hissed and tried once more. "Come on, body! Why won't you fly!"

On her fifth failed attempt, she noticed the silver cuff around her wrist. She examined it closer, spotting the blinking red light. It appeared to be an intricate piece of technology—lightweight, hardly noticeable. Except for the red light, it was inconspicuous. Was this the reason why she could not fly? 

Mar'i's eyes snapped wide open. 

The horrors of such devices were well-known in her system. Scourges like the Psions, Citadelians, and Gordanians used them to enact their cruelty. These threats were gone now, wiped clean from the system by Tamaran and other Vegan powers years ago, and while their defeat marked a time of prosperity for her people, the scars of their carnage lingered. 

Suddenly, Mar'i found it hard to breathe. It was as if she was suffocating on her very own fear. Were they going to beat her and Jake? Chain them? Enslave them? 

She dashed over to her sleeping brother and began shaking his shoulders. "Jaki, wake up! Jaki, please, wake up!" she cried, despairing when he did not stir. "Oh no, no, oh no!"

Outwardly, she saw nothing wrong with him. He did not have any physical injuries, and his breathing was normal. She tried to power up a low-voltage starbolt to zap him awake but cursed when she encountered the inhibitory effects of the cuff. "Jaki," she called out again, "please, wake up!" 

She reeled back when she noticed his new clothing. They were quite odd, unusual shades of blue and yellow. Little grey creatures were speckled all over them. She fingered the fabric idly, surprised to find it quite soft. Was this some kind of prison attire? Why did she not get one? "Jaki!! They changed your clothes!" she shrieked, shaking him harder.

The Prince remained unresponsive, and it was not too long before the Princess gave up her efforts. She slumped to the floor, tears falling from her eyes. 

What could she possibly do? She was 26 lightyears from Tamaran--powerless--with an unconscious brother. They were probably going to die on this stupid planet! 

It was all her fault, too. Her brother told her they should not trust Nightwing, yet she did! She trusted her stupid instincts, and look what happened! Who was she even kidding? She was not her mother-- beautiful, smart, fierce Starfire-- and she was not her brother--adventurous, brave, strong Jaki. She was just stupid old Mar'i, and she was better off as human food. 

Mar'i balled up there on the floor, arms secured around her knees. Salty tears cascaded down her face. "I don't want to be human food!" she sobbed, tears and snot draining her skirt. 

"Oh, no, no, don't cry, Princess," a gentle voice cooed next to her.

Mar'i felt her soul leave her body. An undignified screech tore through her throat as she spun around and saw the traitorous Nightwing kneeling beside her. He was smiling-- like he was happy to see her-- as if he was not the most duplicitous _pokar_ in the entire universe. One look at his off-putting, masked face and Mar'i was throwing hands.

Maybe she did not have her starbolts, eyebeams, or super strength, but her Tamaranean warrior spirit remained-- firm and steadfast. Her tiny fists balled up, and she unleashed upon him a righteous fury. 

"You! You did this!" she seethed, flailing her arms at him. "I trusted you! A-and you did the stealing of us! _Pokar_!"

"Whoa, whoa! Hold on, Mar'i!" Nightwing cried, hands held up. Without her alien strength, her punches of righteous fury were more like light laps. Still, she was a woman of principle and continued anyway. "I didn't betray you. It was just a misunderstanding. If you just calm down, I'll--"

"I do not want the lies! You did the tricking of me! I did the Earthen shaking of hands with you, a-and you stole me! And you put an inhibitor collar on me! And you put me in this glass prison!" Her eyes flickered to her unconscious brother. "And you changed Jaki's clothes! Why? I liked his clothes!"

Nightwing's hands found themselves secured around each of her wrists. Releasing a frustrated cry, she tried to pry them away, but his hold was too strong. She opted for kicking him instead, but he caught her purple-bootied foot between his knees. She noticed his change of clothes. No longer was he wearing his obscenely tight black suit; now, he was clad in a simple white shirt and loose-fitting grey pants. 

"Mar'i, please-"

"Mar'iand'r!" she growled, baring her teeth. " _Pokars_ do not get to call me Mar'i!"

"I had nothing to do with the attack against you and your brother, and I didn't kidnap you guys-"

"Lies! Are you going to eat us now?" 

"What? No, I'm not going to eat you! I would never hurt you or Jake-"

"I am done hearing your lies!" she declared angrily. She condemned him with a glare. "I am very disappointed in you, Mr. Nightman."

The words were biting, she knew. On infrequent occasions, her mother would say them, and Mar'i would just absolutely break. No one likes disappointing anyone, let alone their mama, and she was sure that reigned true across the galaxy. Nightwing thought so, too, because he dropped her wrists and leg.

Mar'i wanted to resume her barrage of slaps, but she stopped by the drooping of his shoulders and the hurt expression on his face. It felt dishonorable to attack an injured opponent-- even if it was an emotional injury. Surely, there was some kind of rule about that in Tamaranean warrior dogma.

She watched him intently, arms crossed, and waited. For a while, he just stood there, opaque lenses glued to the floor. Then, he did something that shocked her. His hands went to his face, and he took off his mask. 

Mar'i did not know what to expect. She had speculated what he looked like underneath the mask-- was he blind? Ugly? Maimed?

She could have never imagined the face before her.

His eyes reminded her of Sython IV moon crystals, a brilliant blue shade with grey in the lattices. They stared at her, and maybe it was because he was an excellent _pokar_ , she did not know, but she saw no malice in them—only softness. 

She _knew_ him. There was something achingly familiar about this Earthling. It was puzzling, almost stunting. She could not place how or why--, but deep down, something inside clicked. Her brows etched together, and she lifted her hand and reached for his face.

He was taken aback by this--and in a way, so was she. She had never been one to be so forward, yet there was this inexplicable need inside her to examine his features. He decided to indulge her and knelt on the ground before her. With both hands, the Princess inspected the curvatures of his brows, the angularity of his nose, the sharpness of his jaw. She was searching for something-- of which she did not know.

It was when a single tear touched her thumb that she snapped her hands back. Her eyes met his, and she saw that they were watery. "I am sorry!" she blurted out, arms glued to her side.

He held his hand up. "No, no, it's alright. I'm fine-"

"I did not mean to harm you," she said earnestly, wringing her hands together. 

"You didn't," he assured her, gentle. He used the back of his arm to wipe his eyes. "I'm sorry for getting emotional. I'm just-I just…"

She cocked her head. "You just?"

The corners of his mouth lifted, a dreamy smile on his face. "I'm just happy, that's all. I'm really, really happy."

"Earthlings cry when they are happy?" she asked, nose scrunched up. 

"Sometimes we do. Mostly we just smile, maybe laugh," Nightwing answered before giving her a cheeky look, "sometimes we dance." 

Mar'i giggled at that, remembering his little dance performance on the roof. "Oh, of course. I have never cried tears of happiness before, but I believe I should like to try it," she said thoughtfully. 

He shook his head. "No, no, a beautiful Princess such as yourself should never cry. Only laughter, smiles, and dancing for you, I'm afraid."

"You are the wrong!" she expressed, placing a hand on her chest. Her gaze was unwavering. "Mama says crying expels the sadness from your heart. It makes more room for happiness!" 

The edges of his smile fumbled. "You have a smart mama," he managed to say, but it sounded strangled. Her eyes narrowed into slits. "What?" he inquired. 

"I wish you would stop your ruse, Mr. Nightman. I do not care for the psychological mind tricks," she groused, arms crossed. If she were fated for the worst, she would face it with dignity. With all the determination she could muster, she regarded him, head held high. "You do not know Mama."

"Mar'i, everything I have said to you has been the truth," he insisted. She, however, did not look convinced. He let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his head. "Listen, the boy who attacked Jake… was my little brother."

"Your brother?" Her features twisted in anger. 

"I know that sounds bad, but I swear, I had nothing to do with it!" he said quickly, hands up. "If I knew what he was going to do, I would have never left your side. I'm so sorry, Mar'i. I should have protected you-- both of you. Jake from Robin, you from Superboy-"

"SuperBoy?"

"The Kryptonian you met."

She remained skeptical. Admittedly, she wanted to believe Nightwing; perhaps it was her meddlesome instincts-- or maybe she did not want to be wrong, and her brother be right. "Jake said you were there during the attack. Fraternizing with the boy."

"I wouldn't say I was 'fraternizing', more like stopping him from slicing Jake in pieces," he explained. His eyes moved to the sleeping boy next to them, the most unusual look on his face. "Seeing Jake hurt like that-- I wasn't thinking."

"He starbolted you." There were no shortages of bandages on his exposed arms. His posture lacked the same fluidity as well; it seemed strained now. 

Nightwing's shoulders lifted. "Yeah, he starbolted me."

"And you are seriously injured?" she inquired, brows furrowed.

"Three broken ribs and a concussion," he said casually. "Don't worry, nothing I'm not used to."

"Oh." She frowned. She did not know if she liked that. "Why?"

He seemed confused. "Um, well, this is not the first time I've been blasted-"

"No, why would your brother do something like that?" she corrected, placing her hands on her hips. "He seriously injured my Jaki. And the Kryptonian tried to, but he was weak, and I beat him."

"I know you did," he smiled, proud. "I cannot give you a solid explanation as to why. Knowing him, it could be any number of reasons. But it's safe to say he was probably jealous."

"Jealous?" she spluttered, the word sounding preposterous. "Of us? Why?"

"I'm not too sure myself. I think it's because I lov-like you guys!"

Mar'i was taken aback. "You like us?" she probed.

He broke out into the biggest grin and bobbed his head up and down. "Yes, ma'am. Big fan."

"Why? You do not know us. Jaki was not the friendly to you-- he even blasted you!"

"Well, that was my fault. He was in pain, and I was being stupid and scared him."

"That still does not explain why you like us," she pointed out. 

"I can't explain it. I think you're just wonderful-- awesome-- probably the most wonderful thing I have ever seen. When I look at you... when I look at you..."

"When you look at me?" she prodded, invested. 

His blue eyes zeroed in on her. "I just see everything good in this world. It's like someone took the best part of opening a new box of cereal, or landing a quadruple somersault, or pulling fresh clothes from the drier-- all the best things in life and made you. Now, I feel like the luckiest man alive, really I do. You see, I won the lottery-- the best jackpot prize anyone could ever ask for because there are two of you! Two of the best people in the whole universe, and I got to meet them."

Mar'i did not know what to do with that declaration. His words were very kind, exceptionally emotional, but they had just met today. "You are most strange, Mr. Nightman."

He detracted a bit, appearing sheepish. "Oh, I'm sorry. Sometimes I don't know when to shut up."

"Never apologize for being emotional. Your affection is confusing, but I am glad we have made you happy."

He gave her a grateful smile. "I need to show you something." His hand went to his pants pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. He looked at it first, his eyes unreadable, before showing it to her.

She gasped. "This is-this is-"

He nodded. "An old picture of your mother and me. Taken a little before she left Earth."

Mar'i gaped at the photograph. She instantly recognized the two people in it as Nightwing and her mother-- crimson red hair and ochre skin and all. She was magnificent, beautiful as ever, and he looked at her as such. His arm was securely wrapped around her shoulders, his head pressed against her mane. 

Mar'i reached to touch the picture but stopped. "May I?" she asked.

"Of course, Mar'i." He placed the photo in her hands. He watched her intently, but she was too focused on the picture to notice.

Her fingers grazed over the image. They were happy, all smiles-- delight in their eyes. Indeed, they looked like companions. Two individuals enjoying the other's company. 

She tore her attention away from the picture and looked up at him. "You did know her, truly? This is not the ruse?"

"Yes. Starf-your mother was my best friend," he answered, sincere.

Mar'i numbly nodded. She should be relieved. Nightwing was not a filthy, nasty _pokar,_ and she got to see an old picture of her mother. But she was not. She swallowed back the urge to cry, but rogue tears slipped down her face. Nightwing became worried. "What's the matter, sweetheart?"

She used the back of her hand to wipe away the tears. "Mama looks so happy in this photograph. I want her to be happy again."

"I'm sure she is. She has you and Jake," Nightwing said. His hand itched to comfort her, clenching and unclenching, but ultimately, he decided against it.

"She has been sad since Silkie died. She no longer flies. She does not laugh anymore," she whimpered, now unable to stop the torrential pour of tears from her eyes. 

"That is why you're trying to find Killer Moth? You want another larva?"

"Yes, but it does not matter," she sobbed. "Jaki wants to give up and return to Tamaran."

Nightwing was silent. "And you?" he finally asked. "What do you want to do?"

"I want to regain Mama's happiness!" she exclaimed, arms flailing. "I have traveled across the galaxy, faced the trials of Earth! Eaten the hotdogs and fought the SuperBoy! I do not want to go home with the empty hands!"

"All of this. Just to make Starfire happy," he mumbled. 

"Of course, would you not do the same for someone you loved?" 

His smile was sad. "You're a wonderful daughter, Princess Mar'i. Starfire is lucky." 

"I thank you, Mr. Nightman," she sniffled, finally composing herself. She straightened and gave him a small smile. "You were a wonderful guide, even if it was for a little while. I do believe I shall miss you."

"So you plan on returning to Tamaran?" he asked, but it was all a mere whisper. 

"Yes, once Jaki wakes up." Her gaze became fierce once more; she puffed out her chest. "Do you plan on doing the releasing of us?"

Nightwing said nothing, which unnerved her. He was somber, jaw tensed and mouth tight, but his eyes-- they were sad. Perhaps that was why he covered them. They were expressive, too open. 

Finally, his hand returned to his pocket and pulled out a metallic pin. "If you really want to leave, Mar'i, I won't stop you," he told her. He held his palm up, "Your hand, please."

Mar'i regarded him before she placed her hand in his. He brought the metallic pin to the inhibitor cuff and put it on the blinking red light. It flashed green, and before long, the infernal thing made a clang on the ground. 

The effect was instantaneous. She was invigorated with energy; every cell in her body buzzed with life. The call to soar returned. She beamed, smiling as she levitated. She was brought from her joy when he said, "But if you stay, well, I hope you'll let me be apart of your adventure."

Mar'i was surprised. She opened her mouth, "Mr. Nightman-"

An obnoxious beeping sound interrupted her. She frowned and narrowed her eyes at him. He released a drawn-out sigh before his finger dipped into his hair to find his earpiece. "Excuse me, one moment," he said apologetically. "Yeah? Can't this wait? I'm kind of busy at the moment. Okay, okay. I'm coming."

He turned to Mar'i and smiled hopefully at her. "I'll only be gone for a minute, I promise. While I'm gone, maybe you can think about what I said."

* * *

Talk about poor timing.

He felt peeved his special moment with his daughter was interrupted. There was still so much he wanted to say, so much he wanted to know. This was his first real conversation with her-- no starbolts-- sure, she did try to attack him-- but he still counted it as a win because they talked.

The thought of them leaving still broke his heart. He wanted to be selfish, fight for them to stay with him. 

But when he looked at her and those big, shining green eyes, he couldn't do it. His babies should never be caged, never be restrained. He understood why Bruce put the inhibitor cuffs on them. They were volatile, and the Batcave was full of explosive things. He was sure the conversation would have gone a lot differently had there been pink energy blasts. But he wanted them to trust him again, and one cannot do that if he stripped them of their powers. They deserved to soar and fly and smile and all the sweet things in life. 

Dick found Bruce by the Batcomputer. He was rightly irritated with the older man. "This better be good. I was just-"

"Starfire is here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! That's over. 
> 
> Nightwing got lucky Mar'i woke up first. She's definitely the more rational, trusting of the two. Jaki would probably not have responded like that. At first, it was going to be him instead of Mar'i, but I thought we needed one more last calm, emotional chapter before things get... crazy. 
> 
> Dick removed the cuff. Will that be a mistake? I don't know!! You'll have to see! Starfire's here, Jake's still passed out-- things a brewing! 
> 
> Anyway, I hope all of your are well and staying safe! Thank you for all the reviews and kudos!


End file.
